New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting to assess progress of India's Gaganyaan mission and to outline the future of the country's space exploration endeavours.

The department of space presented a comprehensive overview of the Gaganyaan mission, including various technologies developed so far such as human-rated launch vehicles and system qualification.

It was noted that around 20 major tests, including three uncrewed missions of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3), are planned.

First demonstration flight of the Crew Escape System Test Vehicle is scheduled on October 2.

The meeting evaluated the mission’s readiness, affirming its launch in 2025.

Building on the success of the Indian space initiatives, including the recent Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L1 Missions, Modi directed that India should now aim for new and ambitious goals, including setting up 'Bharatiya Antariksha Station' (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and sending the first Indian to the Moon by 2040.

To realise this vision, the department of space will develop a roadmap for Moon exploration, official sources said. This will encompass a series of Chandrayaan missions, the development of a Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), construction of a new launch pad, setting up human-centric laboratories and associated technologies.

PM Modi also called upon Indian scientists to work towards interplanetary missions that would include a Venus orbiter mission and a Mars Lander. He expressed confidence in the country’s capabilities and affirmed its commitment to scaling new heights in space exploration.