India planning to have its own space station, announces ISRO chief K Sivan

New Delhi: In one of the most ambitious projects, India is planning to launch its own space station, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Sivan said on Thursday.

The project will be an extension of the Gaganyaan mission, which aims to send an Indian crew to space in 2022.

"We have to sustain the Gaganyaan programme after the launch of (the) human space mission. In this context, India is planning to have its own space station," Sivan told reporters here.

India's second mission to the moon,



Chandrayaan-2, would be launched on July 15, Sivan said on Wednesday.

The landing on the moon near the South Pole, an uncharted territory so far, would be on September 6 or 7, he told reporters, as the Indian space agency is all set to embark on its most complex mission.

The launch would take place at 2.51 am on board the GSLV MK-III vehicle from the spaceport of Sriharikota.

The mission cost of Chandrayaan-2 with regard to the satellite was Rs 603 crore, he said. The cost of GSLV MK III is Rs 375 crore.