GS3 PYQ (Mains Answer Writing): India's Space Station | Science & Technology for UPSC CSE PDF Download

What is India's plan to have its own space station and how will it benefit our space Programme? ( UPSC GS3 Mains)

Space station is also called orbital station. It orbits around Earth. Basically, it is a large spacecraft or man-made station in space, a home where astronauts live and also receives several spacecrafts from the Earth. It is a kind of science lab, many countries worked together to build it and also, work together to use it. Recently ISRO chief said ‘We are planning to have a separate space station. We will not be a part of ISS. Our space station is going to be very small’.
India’s plan to have its own space station: 

• ISRO Director Dr. K. Sivan said “We have to sustain the Gaganyaan programme. So, subsequently, as a long-term plan, we are planning to have the space station in India. We are going to join the international community in manned missions to moon, asteroids. We have a clear plan for the space programme”. 
• The Indian space station will be much smaller (mass of 20 tonnes) than the International Space Station and will be used for carrying out microgravity experiments (not for space tourism). 
• Preliminary plan for the space station is to accommodate astronauts for up to 20 days in space, and the project will be an extension of the Gaganyaan mission. 
• It will orbit Earth at an altitude of around 400km. 
• ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) is working on space docking experiment (Spadex), a technology that is crucial for making the space station functional. 
• India is planning to conduct small microgravity experiments in space. Benefit of own space station programme. 
• Space station is essential for collecting meaningful scientific data, especially for biological experiments. 
• Provide platforms for greater number and length of scientific studies than available on other space vehicles. (as Gaganyaan will take humans and experiments in microgravity for few days only). 
• Each crew member stays aboard the station for weeks or months, but rarely more than a year. 
• Space stations are used to study the effects of long-term space flight on the human body. 
• ISRO needs this facility in the context of its various space missions like interplanetary mission to Venus will be launched in the next 2-3 years. Conclusion: Thus, the proposed India’s space station will help to study atmospheric composition of the planet and would be a milestone for the country in its endeavor to advance space exploration.