India is setting an ambitious roadmap for its space programme, with ISRO planning to launch at least 300 satellites over the next five to six years and targeting an Indian space station by 2035, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said.
Narayanan also said India’s first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission is expected to launch by the end of 2026, marking a key step towards the country’s human spaceflight ambitions.
The satellite target comes as India expands its capabilities in space-based applications, national security, communications and Earth observation. India has already demonstrated its ability to launch foreign satellites commercially, with Indian rockets having carried 434 satellites from 36 countries into orbit, according to the ISRO chairman.
The country’s space programme is also increasingly opening up to private-sector participation. The Small Satellite Launch Complex at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu is being prepared for private-sector operation and management, in line with India’s space-sector reforms and the Indian Space Policy 2023.
The planned space station by 2035 represents another major milestone. Alongside the Gaganyaan programme and hundreds of planned satellite missions, it signals India’s ambition to build a larger and more independent presence in space.
With public and private players increasingly contributing to India’s space ecosystem, the coming decade could see a significant expansion in satellite manufacturing, launch services and commercial space activity.
