India sends astronaut to moon in 2040

By Alimat Aliyeva

India has launched an ambitious space program aimed at landing an Indian astronaut on the Moon by 2040, Azernews reports.

"When we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our independence, the Indian flag will fly on the Moon. Our astronaut will go there, plant it, and return safely. This will happen in 2040," said the official.

"For the first time in the history of our space program, we have a vision for the next 25 years," the ISRO chief added.

According to him, as part of this roadmap, India plans to establish its own space station within the next 10 years. The precursor to this will be the launch of the space station module in 2028, which will pave the way for its full operational deployment.

Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tasked the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with creating the first Indian habitable space station by 2035 and landing astronauts on the Moon by 2040. Modi also called for the development of programs to launch an orbital station to Venus and a landing module to Mars.