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Two Rajya Sabha replies together cover the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) — India's planned five-module indigenous space station targeted for 2035, with the first module BAS-01 approved in October 2024 for launch by 2028 — and the Department of Space's budget trend since 2021.
Gaganyaan precursor missions TV-D1, IADT-01 and IADT-02 are complete, with the first uncrewed mission (G1) in advanced preparation; docking-system and refuelling-mechanism concept demonstrations have succeeded.
Department of Space's budget has stayed roughly flat in nominal terms (₹13,949 crore in 2021-22 to ₹13,416 crore in 2025-26) even as its share of the Union Budget and of GDP has declined; ISRO passed 100 launches from Sriharikota and demonstrated autonomous docking via SPADEX (India the 4th country to do so).
Government reforms via IN-SPACe and NSIL have opened commercial launch services to private players — cited examples include Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 and Agnikul Cosmos's 3D-printed-engine Agnibaan SOrTeD mission.
ISRO's commercial arm; enables Indian industry to take up high-technology space activities and scales up private-sector participation
Autonomous nodal agency authorising and promoting private space-sector activity, acting as interface between ISRO and private players
Gaganyaan programme approved
Cabinet approves BAS-01 (first BAS module) as a revision of Gaganyaan's scope, targeted for 2028
India becomes the first country to soft-land near the lunar south pole
India becomes the 3rd country to place a solar observatory at the Sun-Earth L1 point
India becomes the 4th country to demonstrate autonomous docking/undocking in space
GS Paper 3 > Science & Technology > Space Programme, Indigenisation
Very high — Gaganyaan/BAS is a top-tier recurring UPSC topic
First module of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, Cabinet-approved October 2024, targeted for launch by 2028
Human-rated variant of LVM3, the launch vehicle for Gaganyaan crewed missions