India is actively working toward landing an astronaut on the Moon by 2040, with significant progress already made in developing the mission’s launch vehicle configuration and orbital module systems, as per a request for information regarding India's Gaganyaan program in the Parliament.

The Gaganyaan program, India’s ongoing human spaceflight initiative, serves as the technological foundation for this ambitious lunar mission.

Key elements such as the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3), propulsion systems for the crew and service modules, and the Crew Escape System (CES) have been developed and successfully ground-tested.

The government’s vision includes establishing the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, a space station in low-Earth orbit by 2035, which will aid in long-term human spaceflight readiness and contribute to the 2040 Moon landing readiness.

The first module of this space station has been approved for development, and build-out plans include five modules. Training infrastructure and mission control facilities have been enhanced in preparation for these efforts.

The Gaganyaan program milestones include the completion of the HLVM3 development and ground testing, realisation of engineering models for the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), development and static testing of five types of CES motors, and conducting precursor missions such as TV-D1 to validate CES capabilities.

The first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission (G1) is in preparation, with crew and service module structures completed and critical motors stacked for launch. Crew recovery plans and ground network communications have been finalised to support mission success.

India’s comprehensive roadmap combines current and near-term efforts in space technology, human spaceflight training, infrastructure development, and test flights, forming a strong basis for achieving a crewed lunar landing by 2040.

This milestone follows recent successes like Chandrayaan-3’s soft landing on the lunar south pole and aligns with the broader goal of establishing India as a major spacefaring nation with long-term human space capabilities.

Agencies