In 2027, India will send Chandrayaan-4 into space to bring samples of the moon rocks back to Earth, according to Science & Technology Minister Jitendra Singh. Among other tasks, at least two launches of the heavy-lift LVM-3 rocket would be launched into orbit to carry and assemble the mission’s five components.

Chandrayaan-4 Mission

“Chandrayaan-4 mission aims at collection and return of surface samples from the Moon,” Singh said in an interview with PTI. He indicated that the Gaganyaan mission to place Indian astronauts in low Earth orbit would launch next year.

Samudrayaan would be launched by India in 2026, which is expected to take three scientists in a submersible down to explore the sea bed in areas that go below 6,000 meters. This is aligned with India’s other significant space under Gaganyaan.

“This achievement would coincide with the timelines of several other landmark missions of India, including the Gaganyaan space mission, a pleasant coincidence in the Indian journey towards scientific excellence,” Singh said.

Prime Minister Modi made a mention of the Samudrayaan mission during his Independence Day speech. Singh elaborated on its potential to unearth huge marine biodiversity and resources, which are integral toward achieving India’s economic and environmental goals.

Gaganyaan Mission

This year, India is also going to launch an uncrewed Gaganyaan mission named after the robot Vyommitra. Singh stated that in the last decade, there has been unprecedented growth in the Indian space sector infrastructure and investments.

It took more than two decades for the first launch pad to reach implementation success after the establishment of ISRO in 1969, with the launch pad being developed in 1993, according to Singh.

The second launch pad came to be built almost a decade later in the year 2004. “Now, we are building a third launch pad and for the very first time for heavier rockets, and expanding.”