PM Modi highlights India's growing self-reliance in space sector; Shubanshu Shukla’s return in Independence Day speech

New Delhi: India is striving to achieve self-reliance in the space sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday.

“The nation is proud of our space sector. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has returned from the space station... he will be coming back to India in the days ahead,” Prime Minister Modi said during his Independence Day address from the Red Fort.

He stated that India is actively working towards becoming self-sufficient in the space domain and is preparing for the launch of Gaganyaan.

Gaganyaan is India’s flagship human spaceflight programme.

“We will build our own space station,” he added.

The Prime Minister also noted that recent reforms have paved the way for more than 300 start-ups operating in the space sector.

“Thousands of young people are involved in this effort. This is the strength of our youth... This is the confidence we place in them,” he said.

ISRO to launch US communication satellite

Following the historic launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission onboard a GSLV-F16 rocket on July 30, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan had announced that India would be launching another satellite for the United States in the next two months.

(with PTI inputs)