Indian Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said an Indian will land on the surface of the Moon in 2040.

Addressing an event marking the first-ever National Space Day, Singh highlighted the historic landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon's South Pole, a feat that astonished the world and established India as a leader in space exploration.

"In the last six decades, India has not only touched the lives of its citizens but also reached the Moon," said Jitendra Singh.

He emphasized the significant progress made in the past decade, including the successful Mars Orbiter Mission, the launch of AstroSat, Chandrayaan-2, and Chandrayaan-3, the upcoming Aditya-L1 solar mission, and the XPoSat, an X-Ray astronomy mission.

Also read: India celebrates its first-ever National Space Day, PM Modi lauds contributions of space scientists

Jitendra Singh traced India’s Space journey beginning only 55 years back in 1969 when the US astronaut Neil Armstrong had already set his foot on the Moon.

He lauded the scientific community for their unwavering dedication, which culminated in India becoming the first nation to land on the Moon's South Pole.

The Minister of State for Space credited the policy support and leadership provided by Prime Minister Modi since 2014 for accelerating scientific missions and unlocking the potential of India’s scientific community.

He also noted the significant increase in Space startups, now numbering nearly 300, following the opening of the Space sector to private participation.

He echoed the Finance Minister’s projection that India’s space economy will grow from $8 billion to $44 billion in the next decade.

Jitendra Singh praised PM Modi for "unshackling" the space sector and making it more accessible to the public, as evidenced by the over 5,000 spectators and nearly 1,000 media personnel who witnessed the Chandrayaan-3 launch live at Sriharikota.

Looking ahead, Jitendra Singh outlined the Space Vision 2047, which includes the commissioning of the Bharatiya Antariksha Station (BAS) by 2035 and Indian astronauts landing on the Moon by 2040.

He expressed confidence that what begins with human spaceflight in Low Earth Orbit will expand to India’s own scientific activities onboard an indigenous space station, leading to further lunar exploration and beyond.

Jitendra Singh highlighted India’s end-to-end capabilities in Space transportation, platforms, and ground stations were highlighted as a key aspect of the country’s self-reliance in the space sector.

Singh also underscored the impact of space applications on sectors such as fisheries, agriculture, natural resource management, disaster management, and satellite communication, which have all benefited from India’s space advancements.

What did Narendra Modi say on the National Space Day celebration?

In a message shared on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently in Ukraine, expressed immense pride in India’s remarkable achievements in the space sector.

"Greetings to everyone on the first National Space Day. We recall with great pride our nation’s achievements in the space sector. It is also a day to laud the contributions of our space scientists," Prime Minister Modi stated.

Why India is celebrating National Space Day?

To commemorate the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3 Mission, and soft landing of the Vikram Lander and deployment of the Pragyaan Rover on the Moon on August 23, 2023, the Government of India has declared 23rd Day of August of every year as the National Space Day (NSpD).

Success of Chandrayaan 3

In a game-changing feat in India's space exploration, the country's lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 successfully soft-landed on the South Polar region of the moon on August 23, 2023, as a nation of 1.4 billion people erupted in joy and pride ending an anxious wait for the moment.