Cabinet approves Chandrayaan-4, Venus Orbiter, space station plans

In a significant development for India's space programme, the Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a series of ambitious space missions on Wednesday.

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Among the initiatives are the Chandrayaan-4 mission, designed to bring back moon rocks to Earth, the launch of a spacecraft to orbit Venus, and the expansion of the Gaganyaan programme with the goal of building an Indian space station.

At the heart of these decisions is India's growing aspiration to establish itself as a key player in space exploration. The government approved the development of the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), which will have the capability to carry heavier payloads into orbit, a crucial step in achieving India's space station and manned lunar mission targets.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Prime Minister Modi said: "Great news for the space sector! The Union Cabinet has approved the first step towards the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), expanding the Gaganyaan programme."