India approves moon sample return, Venus orbiter, space station module and reusable launcher The Indian government has given approval to a number of major space projects including the Chandrayaan-4 lunar sample return and a first space station module.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday green-lit four important space endeavours for launches by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) in the near future.

The Union Cabinet has approved space missions totalling Rs 31,772 crores paving the way for the roadmap for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) till almost 2040.

The Indian government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has officially approved the Chandrayaan-4 mission, an innovative lunar exploration initiative.

All the missions are time-bound and there has been good progress on all of these,” said Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw while announcing the Cabinet decisions. The Indian Space Research Organisation ( Isro) will aim for a March 2028 launch for the Venus mission — when Earth and Venus are at their closest.

ISRO’s Shukrayaan-1 mission, also known as Venus Orbiter Mission, marks India’s first ambitious step toward exploring Venus. The mission aims to study the planet’s atmosphere, surface, and volcanic activity,

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the expansion of the Chandrayaan mission, whose third phase successfully landed a lander and rover on the Moon. The Cabinet also cleared the plan for the Venus orbiter mission,