Tech Special: How India’s Upcoming 2035 Space Station Challenges Global Aerospace Monopolies

Photo credit: Prime Minister’s Office

 Following Prime Minister Modi’s pre-BRICS speech, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has provided preliminary frameworks for the Bharatiya Antariksha Station (BAS) to be completed by 2035.

The Tech Blueprint:

1. Phased Launches: The space station will be deployed in a modular layout using India’s next-generation heavy-lift launch vehicles (NGLV). The first core module is expected to enter low-Earth orbit (LEO) by late 2028.

2. Crew Capacity: The orbital outpost is being designed to comfortably house 3 to 4 astronauts for extended microgravity research expeditions lasting up to 90 days.

3. Strategic Geopolitics: With the International Space Station (ISS) nearing decommissioning, India’s move establishes it as an independent space power alongside China’s Tiangong and Russia’s planned orbital station. It also strengthens India’s leverage to offer orbital research slots to other Global South partners within the BRICS framework.