Bharatiya Antariksha Station
Station statistics
Crew3 (proposed)
LaunchFirst module: 2028 (planned)[1]
Completion: 2035 (planned)[2]
Launch padSatish Dhawan Space Centre (expected third or second launch pad)
Mission statusPlanned

The Indian Orbital Space Station, also called Bharatiya Antariksha Station,[2] is a planned space station to be constructed by India and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The space station would weigh 20 tonnes and maintain an orbit of approximately 400 kilometres above the Earth, where astronauts could stay for 15–20 days.[3] Originally planned to be completed by 2030, it was later postponed to 2035 due to delays caused by technical issues related with the Gaganyaan crewed spaceflight mission and the COVID-19 pandemic in India.[4] As of December 2023, the first module is expected to be launched in 2028 on an LVM3 launch vehicle, with the remaining modules to be launched by 2035 on the Next Generation Launch Vehicle.[1]

History

In 2019, ISRO chief K. Sivan presented the features of the proposed space station for the first time, saying that the space station may weigh up to 20 tons. Three years later, in his New Year's speech delivered before retiring as chairman, Sivan stated that India's first crewed spaceflight project Gaganyaan had completed the design phase and entered into the testing phase, hinting that the organization has achieved a breakthrough in reaching the space mission milestone.[3]

In 2023, chief S. Somanath said: "Our Gaganyaan programme is towards a human space flight capability to space and once that happens, we will be able to look at space station building in subsequent modules. The timeline for this space station project spans the next 20 to 25 years [...] We will be definitely looking at manned exploration, a human spaceflight for a longer duration, space exercise there in our agenda".[5] Following on from the Gaganyaan project, completing the station and conducting a crewed Moon landing by the year 2040 has been set as ISRO's goal for the upcoming decade, with a whole host of new projects and undertakings to come up in support of the mission.[6]

During his visit to India in November 2023, NASA administrator Bill Nelson expressed NASA's readiness to support India's goal of building a commercial space station by 2040 if India seeks such collaboration. This potential partnership could leverage the expertise and experience of both countries, fostering innovation and advancing human presence in space between the two Artemis Accords signatories.[7][8][9] In December 2023, Somanath stated that ISRO had a 25-year roadmap extending to the year 2047. This included plans to launch the first space station module in 2028 and complete the station by 2035.[1][10]

A polymer electrolyte membrane Fuel Cell Power System (FCPS) created by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) was successfully launched by ISRO on 1 January 2024, as part of the PSLV-C58 mission. Its purpose is to evaluate the possible power supply for the future Indian Space Station. The PSLV Orbital Experiment Module, or POEM-3, will be used for technological validation. Additionally, new silicon-based high-power energy cells will be tested by VSSC.[11][12]

The successful test of FCPS, a 100 Watt payload, onboard POEM-3 was reported by ISRO on 2 January 2023. Under high pressure, a chemical reaction was sparked using oxygen and hydrogen, when moved through a fuel cell assembly. It assisted in producing 180 Watt electricity and clean drinking water as byproduct. The complete system functioned as planned in radiation-filled, temperature-extreme, and weightless environment. The next phase is the construction of a 100 Kilowatt system. Numerous fuel cells have already been constructed by ISRO and provided to other organizations for testing. The International Space Station (ISS) is already using this technology, but ISRO is working to broaden its application. On board POEM-3, the 10 Ampere-hour high-power energy cells based on silicon–graphite anode were also tested. These lithium-ion batteries are lightweight, have a compact design, and an improved energy density thanks to the silicon-graphite content.[13][14] The energy cells have crimped sealing based design which reduces the hardware and fabrication costs. It is expected to save 35-40% of battery mass on future space missions.[15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "First module of Indian space station to launch by 2028: ISRO chief". The Indian Express. 23 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Prime Minister reviews readiness of Gaganyaan Mission". Press Information Bureau (Press release). 17 October 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 Tiwari, Sakshi (17 January 2022). "India's Space Station: As China Set To Become The Only Country With A Space Station, Will ISRO Hit Its 2030 Deadline?". Eurasian Times. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  4. ↑ Sunilkumar, Singh Rahul (30 October 2022). "ISRO to develop reusable rockets, aims to set up space station by 2035: Report". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  5. ↑ Anand, Nisha (8 October 2023). Dhar, Aniruddha Dhar (ed.). "When will India build own space station? ISRO chief S Somanath responds". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  6. ↑ Saxena, Ragini (17 October 2023). "India Plans to Launch Its First Crewed Moon Mission by 2040". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "Nasa working to send Indian astronaut selected by Isro to Space Station". India Today. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "NASA to collaborate with ISRO on space station development, says Bill Nelson". HT Tech. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  9. ↑ Ray, Kalyan (28 November 2023). "NASA open to working with ISRO to help India build space station". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "'We can build space station, send humans to Moon': Somanath shares ISRO's plans till 2047". Business Today. 28 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  11. ↑ "Isro launches fuel cell to test power source for future Bhartiya Space Station". India Today. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  12. ↑ "Isro to begin New Year with XPoSat launch; 10 other payloads to go on POEM". The Times of India. 29 December 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  13. ↑ Chaitanya, SV Krishna (2 January 2023). "ISRO successfully tests fuel cell technology". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  14. ↑ "ISRO successfully tests Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell on PSLV-C58's orbital platform POEM3". The Hindu. 5 January 2024. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  15. ↑ Dutt, Anonna (6 January 2024). "ISRO tests fuel cell to potentially power space missions". The Indian Express. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
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