Throughout history, humanity has gazed upon the vastness of space with a sense of awe and curiosity, embarking on explorations since ancient times. The immensity of the cosmos often evokes a feeling of insignificance, yet it also ignites a profound curiosity within the human mind. Renowned physicist Dr. Stephen W. Hawking famously remarked:
“I think the human race doesn’t have a future if it doesn’t go into space. I therefore want to encourage public interest in space. A zero-gravity flight is the first step towards space travel.”
Since then, significant strides have been made in space exploration, including landmark achievements such as human moon landings, missions to Mars, and asteroid landings, among others. A pinnacle of space science success and a testament to humanity’s spacefaring capabilities is the International Space Station (ISS), orbiting Earth majestically.
However, it’s important to note that the ISS isn’t a representation of all nations; rather, it is primarily operated by a select group of countries, including the United States, Canada, Russia, Japan, and Europe. As time progresses, other nations, particularly developing ones, have set their sights on constructing their own space stations. China, for instance, has entered the race with its Tiangong Space Station project, building upon the knowledge gained from its predecessors, Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2. Recently, India has also joined the elite scientific community with ambitions to establish its own space station, following the successful soft landing of Chandrayaan in the lunar south pole region in 2023. India’s proposed space station is named “Bharatiya Antariksha Station.”
In January 2024, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) Chief, Mr.S Somnath Said at International Space Conference at Gujarat, India, “Let me look at the type of vision that the Prime Minister has given after this success story of the last 6 months. I think he also has been an ardent supporter of space programs ever since he was a CM of this state. What he told us is that we must create continuous activity of humans’ presence in space. Though we have a Gaganyaan program, it must continue over a long period leading up to a human landing on the moon and an Indian landing on the moon by 2040. It looks far away, but it’s not far away. It’s so close. And we must build a space station by 2035, a space station that is accessible for Indians to go there and do research.”
So, what is Bharatiya Antariskha Station?
The Indian Orbital Space Station, also known as Bharatiya Antariksha Station, is a planned modular space station set to be constructed by India and operated by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Expected to weigh approximately 20-25 tonnes, it will orbit at an altitude of around 400 kilometers above Earth, allowing astronauts to reside for 15-20 days.
Bharatiya Antariksha Station’s design will comprise essential components such as a crew command module, habitat module, propulsion module, and docking ports. Initially, the entire capsule is estimated to weigh 20-25 tonnes, with potential mass increases in the future to accommodate station expansion.
In November 2023, NASA expressed willingness to support India in constructing its own commercial space station, provided India seeks such assistance from NASA.
The establishment of Bharatiya Antariksha Station is poised to significantly bolster India’s presence in space research and exploration. It will serve as a unique platform for conducting scientific experiments in microgravity, driving advancements in space technology, and potentially fostering economic activities based on lunar resources by 2047.
How a Space Station will help India?
- It will foster and enhance the scientific curiosity among youth in India and neighboring countries.
- India will have its own dedicated platform for conducting microgravity experiments, enabling a wide range of scientific investigations.
- The development of Bharatiya Antariksha Station will propel India’s space industry base and cultivate expertise in spacecraft design and life support systems.
- India will be recognized as a prominent space-exploring nation, leading to increased international collaboration and partnerships.
- The project may attract international direct investment and incentivize India’s private industries to enter the space sector, thereby stimulating growth in India’s space economy.
With a string of triumphant endeavours such as the Chandrayaan’s Moon Landing, the positioning of the ADITYA L1 Spacecraft in the Lagrangian point for solar study, the deployment of the Xposat satellite to investigate cosmic X-Rays, and the successful Crew Module Abort Test for Gaganyaan, India is increasingly perceived as a self-assured nation poised to progress towards constructing its own space station.