The union cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved the building of first unit of the Bharatiya Antariksha Station by extending the scope of Gaganyaan program in mid Sept 2024. Approval by the cabinet is given for development of first module of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS-1) and undertake missions to demonstrate and validate various technologies for building and operating BAS. To revise the scope & funding of the Gaganyaan Program to include new developments for BAS & precursor missions, and additional requirements to meet the ongoing Gaganyaan Program.
Hanumantray Baluragi, director of ISRO’s DHSP (Directorate ISRO has finalised the configuration of the base module, as well as the strategy for assembling all the five planned modules in orbit. The space station is designed to primarily operate autonomously with minimal human intervention, with docking ports that are compatible with the International Space Station, with a transfer hub that can potentially act as a fuel depot for interplanetary missions. The BAS can also extend ISRO’s plans for space tourism with short suborbital flights, to longer-duration stays on board India’s own orbital platform. The fully assembled BAS is expected to weigh around 50 tons. ISRO is aiming for a fully operational BAS by 2035.
Base Module To Be Used For Demonstrating Critical Technologies Required For BAS
ISRO plans to execute a series of operations with the base module, including control and orbit raising manoeuvres, crewed and uncrewed dockings, and will essentially be a testbed that paves the way for future long-duration space missions. Baluragi said, “One important aspect of establishing any space station is to undertake microgravity based research, and that provides opportunities for our academic and research organisations. The experiments will cater to areas such as space biology, life sciences, advanced materials development, healthcare and medical technologies, pharmaceutical development.” These experiments are expected to benefit all humans on Earth, as well as future human space exploration.
ISRO
