Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while inaugurating the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2025) in New Delhi, unveiled that India's space journey is not about outpacing others but attaining greater heights as a concerted effort and contributing in the interest of humankind. He emphasized that India's space movement is built on cooperation, curiosity, and communal progress, and not competing with others.
PM Modi highlighted how India's space achievement-from launching a low-profile rocket in 1963 to being the first nation to reach near the Moon's south pole-suggest the country's innovative and collaborative spirit. He said, "Indian rockets carry more than payloads-they carry the dreams of 1.4 billion Indians." He recalled some of the most important milestones like India's Mars mission, which was successful on its first attempt in 2014, and the Chandrayaan missions that discovered water on the Moon and brought back the highest-resolution images of the lunar surface.
To the future, Modi set grand ambitions: India intends to have its own space station, the Bharatiya Antariksha Station, operational by 2035 and an Indian astronaut on the Moon by 2040. Mars and Venus are also on India's target list for upcoming missions, he said. In the immediate future, an Indian astronaut will soon journey to the International Space Station aboard a joint ISRO-NASA mission.
The Prime Minister underlined that India's space mission is not only for scientists but also for ordinary citizens. Satellite technology is utilized in areas like weather forecasting, railway security, and sending alerts to fishermen. He also stated that some Indian space missions are led by female scientists and over 250 space startups already exist in the nation, leading new ideas and innovation.
Modi added that India's space vision is rooted in the ancient philosophy of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam"-the entire world is one family. India has launched satellites to the countries of South Asia and plans to gift a G20 satellite to the Global South. "We compete not for our growth but to contribute to global knowledge, address global challenges, and inspire future generations," he stated. "India dreams together, grows together, and expects to reach for the stars together."
In summary, PM Modi explicitly expressed that India's space journey is about cooperative work with the world to discover and harness the potential of space for everyone's benefit and not just for national ego or competition.
