Hyderabad, Jul 26 (PTI) ISRO Chairman V Narayanan on Friday said India needs to nearly triple its current 55 satellites in orbit within the next three years to meet growing demands.
Delivering the 'GP Birla Memorial Lecture on Indian Space Programme - Accomplishments, Challenges and Future Perspectives', Narayanan said that by 2040 India will be on par with leading space nations in terms of technology, applications, and infrastructure.
He revealed that ISRO plans 12 launch vehicle missions this year, with the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission scheduled for launch on July 30 via the GSLV F16.
"Currently, 55 satellites serve the nation. In the next three years, this number must triple. The demand is immense, and we are working to build satellites rapidly," Narayanan said.
He added that India aims to deploy its first space station module by 2028, with a full space station targeted by 2035. Narayanan also confirmed ISRO’s collaboration with Japan on the Chandrayaan-5/LUPEX mission, which will feature a 6,600 kg lander—significantly heavier than Chandrayaan-3's 1,600 kg lander.
Further, ISRO is set to launch a 6,500 kg US communication satellite in three months and is developing a third launch pad at Sriharikota with a budget of Rs 4,000 crore.
The Gaganyaan mission, which will send Indian astronauts into space, is expected to launch in early 2027. So far, ISRO has placed 433 satellites from 34 countries into orbit and launched a total of 518 satellites in the last decade.
Narayanan received the prestigious G P Birla Memorial Award for his contributions to India’s space sector.