Paris. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 10 outlined India’s long-term space ambitions at the first International Space Summit in Paris, announcing plans to establish an indigenous space station by 2035 and send an Indian astronaut to the Moon by 2040.
Addressing the gathering virtually from New Delhi, PM Modi presented India’s space programme as both a national capability and an international public good. He linked the country’s approach to the philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” – one Earth, one family, one future – and argued that progress in orbit should serve humanity beyond national boundaries.
“Looking ahead, we aim to establish the Indian space station by 2035 and send an Indian to the Moon by 2040,” he said. “In all these efforts, our guiding principle has been clear: their benefits must reach all humanity.”
The announcement places India’s planned space station alongside its human-spaceflight ambitions under the Gaganyaan programme and signals a broader effort to move from individual missions to sustained human operations in orbit. The 2040 lunar objective would also extend India’s role in lunar exploration beyond Chandrayaan-3, which made the country the first to land near the Moon’s south polar region.
PM Modi highlighted other milestones, including Aditya-L1’s study of the Sun and the visit of an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station. He said India’s space achievements were built on the work of generations of scientists, engineers and technicians who had made the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) a globally respected institution.
“ISRO, which stands at the heart of this journey, has earned global admiration for its excellence and cost-effective missions,” he said, adding that more than 430 satellites from 34 countries had travelled into space on Indian rockets. He also pointed to the use of Indian space capabilities in agriculture, fisheries, weather forecasting, disaster management and navigation.
The Prime Minister used the Paris platform to make a wider appeal for rules-based and peaceful activity in space. “We support a safe, secure, peaceful and sustainable space domain anchored in international law, dialogue and multilateral cooperation,” he said. Scientific data, he added, should be shared for the common good “with openness and integrity.”
“As orbits become more crowded, technologies more powerful, and actors more numerous, our choices must be clear: cooperation over confrontation; sustainability over short-term gain; and inclusion over exclusion,” PM Modi said. The statement came as governments and private companies confront rising concerns about orbital congestion, space debris, spectrum competition and the responsible use of dual-use technologies.
PM Modi also invited France and other spacefaring nations to become “co-travellers” in India’s next phase of exploration. He described France as a trusted partner since the beginning of India’s space programme in the 1960s, with bilateral cooperation now covering Earth observation, advanced technologies, human spaceflight and planetary exploration.
“Let the Space Summit in Paris send a clear message: we will explore together, innovate together and protect space together, for all humanity and for generations to come,” he said.
The summit brought together governments, space agencies, scientists, investors and companies. Organisers said it featured 51 announcements representing approximately €20 billion in contracts, investments and other commitments. The India-related announcements reflected the growing role of private companies in a relationship historically led by ISRO and France’s CNES.
The two countries have already worked together on satellite applications, Earth observation, launch services, space situational awareness and human-spaceflight research. Their institutional partnership includes cooperation on the TRISHNA climate-monitoring mission, maritime domain awareness and future launch-vehicle technologies.
For India, the summit offered an opportunity to combine diplomatic outreach with commercial expansion. The country’s private space sector is seeking a larger role in satellite manufacturing, launch services, space-based surveillance, Earth observation and downstream applications.
“The energy of enterprise is joining the excellence of ISRO,” PM Modi said. His message from Paris was that India’s next space chapter will depend not only on government missions, but also on private investment, international partnerships and shared technological standards.
