Narendra Modi announced on Tuesday (17) India's ambitious plans to send a man to the Moon and establish a space station by 2040, showcasing the country's intensified efforts in its space programme.
This announcement coincides with a significant upcoming test flight for India's first crewed space mission, scheduled for Saturday (21).
Modi told space agency officials that they should "build on the success of Indian space initiatives".
The country "should now aim for new and ambitious goals, including setting up 'Bharatiya Antariksha Station' (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and sending first Indian to moon by 2040," he said in a statement late Tuesday.
Modi asked them to develop plans for "a series of missions" to the Moon.
India runs a low-budget space operation. It became the first to land a craft near the largely unexplored lunar south pole in August and, a month later, successfully launched a spacecraft to observe the outermost layers of the Sun.
In 2014, India became the first Asian nation to put a satellite into orbit around Mars, and its space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched 104 satellites in a single mission in 2017.
India's current focus remains on its first manned mission into outer space, called Gaganyaan or "Skycraft".
The three-day mission, expected to take place next year, aims to send a three-member crew into Earth's orbit at a cost of about $1.08 billion, according to ISRO.
The country also plans to launch a probe to the Moon with Japan, land a craft on Mars, and send an orbital mission to Venus within the next two years.
India has been steadily matching the achievements of established spacefaring powers at a fraction of their cost.
Experts say India can keep costs low by copying and adapting existing technology, and thanks to an abundance of highly skilled engineers who earn a fraction of their global counterparts.
India says it only accounts for two percent of the $386 billion global space economy, a share it hopes to increase to nine percent by 2030.
(AFP)
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)