India's space station dreams: Why is it a decade away?

ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan has announced India's ambitious plan to build the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) by 2035, with the first module launching in 2028. Designed to operate in Low Earth Orbit at an altitude of 400–450 kilometres, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station will support both Earth observation and scientific research, creating a permanent Indian presence in space. This ambitious project signals India's emergence as a serious contender in the global human spaceflight arena, joining the ranks of the United States, Russia, and China.

The modular station will comprise five interconnected components, including a base module, core systems, a scientific laboratory space, and two work modules. The first module, BAS-1, will weigh approximately 52 tonnes and serve as a testbed for critical technologies, including life support systems, radiation shielding, crew habitation, and thermal regulation. Once fully constructed, the station will span 27 meters in length and 20 meters in width, capable of supporting 3 to 4 astronauts for extended missions and up to 6 for shorter durations. Advanced features such as a cupola viewing module, roll-out solar arrays, and orbital refuelling systems are part of its futuristic design.

"Developing an indigenous space station is one of the most complex engineering challenges any space agency can undertake. The structural integration of multiple modules, maintaining internal atmospheric pressure, radiation protection, waste management, and autonomous operations are just a few of the major hurdles. The extreme thermal environment of space, ranging from -157°C to +121°C, demands robust and lightweight materials such as carbon fibre composites and corrosion-resistant alloys like titanium," Srimathy Kesan, the founder and CEO  of Space Kidz India, told THE WEEK.

Kesan adds that an equally formidable challenge lies in the development of a highly reliable Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), which must ensure breathable air, clean water, waste processing, and thermal comfort over the course of months of continuous habitation. These systems require redundancy, self-diagnostics, and fault-tolerant design to maintain safety in the unforgiving environment of space.

Experts point out that operationally, the space station will require a 24/7 mission control facility, astronaut training infrastructure, orbital logistics management, and emergency response protocols. "Crew rotations every six months must be carefully synchronised with cargo resupply, equipment servicing, and scientific operations. With over 350,000 components needing regular monitoring and potential maintenance, ISRO must also scale up its ground-based technical workforce and communication networks," added Kesan.

While a decade's timeline for the construction of a space station seems lengthy compared to China's rapid space station assembly, India's measured approach reflects realistic technical challenges and sequential mission planning, as building a space station represents one of humanity's most complex engineering feats.

"Unlike constructing buildings on Earth, space stations must be assembled piece by piece in the harsh environment of space, where a single mistake can be catastrophic. The International Space Station weighs almost 400 tonnes and spans an area equivalent to a football pitch. It would have been impossible to build the space station on Earth and then launch it into space in one go—there is no rocket big enough or powerful enough. This fundamental challenge applies to all space stations, requiring careful orchestration of multiple launches and delicate assembly operations," remarked space expert Girish Linganna.

The technical difficulties are immense. Astronauts must perform precise operations while travelling at 28,400km per hour, working in bulky spacesuits where the smallest error could prove fatal. Every component must function perfectly in the vacuum of space, extreme temperatures, and constant radiation exposure.

The International Space Station's construction began on November 20, 1998, with the launch of the Russian Zarya module, followed by the US-built Unity module in December. The main construction was completed between 1998 and 2011, spanning approximately 13 years. However, the ISS story actually begins much earlier. President Ronald Reagan's 1984 State of the Union Address directed NASA to build an international space station within 10 years. The project faced numerous setbacks, including the 2003 Columbia shuttle disaster, which halted construction for years.

The assembly required more than 40 missions, involving space shuttles, Russian rockets, and later commercial vehicles. Like a Lego set, each piece of the ISS was launched and assembled in space, utilising complex robotics systems and humans in spacesuits to connect fluid lines and electrical wires.

The financial cost was staggering. The ISS has been described as the most expensive single item ever constructed, with a total cost of $150 billion as of 2010. For the United States alone, the cost reached approximately $75 billion from 1994 through 2013.

The Soviet Union's MIR space station provides crucial context for understanding space station timelines. MIR was the first modular space station, assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, taking exactly 10 years to complete—remarkably similar to India's projected timeline. MIR operated for 15 years, hosting 105 cosmonauts from 11 nationalities and proving that international cooperation in space was possible. The cost of the MIR programme was estimated at $4.2 billion over its lifetime, significantly less than the ISS's $150 billion price tag. China's Tiangong design draws heavily from Soviet-era space station technology, particularly MIR's modular approach and automated docking systems.

China's approach was dramatically different. The Chinese Manned Space Agency built Tiangong in low Earth orbit, launching each of the three modules between 2021 and 2022. The assembly of the Mengtian marks the final step in the 1.5-year construction process. This remarkable speed stemmed from China's methodical preparation. China's manned space project was approved in 1992 with a 3-step strategic plan, and building a space station is the final goal of this plan. In September 2010, China's manned space station project was officially established.

China had several advantages: Tiangong modules are self-contained and pre-assembled, in contrast to the US Orbital Segment of the ISS, which required spacewalking to interconnect cables, piping, and structural elements manually. This automated approach significantly reduced assembly time and complexity.

"Space stations are incredibly expensive to maintain. The International Space Station costs about $3 billion per year for NASA to operate, roughly a third of the human spaceflight budget. India's more modest approach reflects budget constraints and the need to prove capabilities gradually. The three modules of the Tiangong space station weigh about 69 tons in total. Compared to the Mir space station, which weighs approximately 123 tons, and the International Space Station (ISS), which weighs approximately 423 tons, the Tiangong space station is of relatively small scale. India's station will likely follow a similar philosophy of efficiency over size," said Linganna.

India's ten-year timeline for space station construction reflects the complex realities of space engineering, budget constraints, and the need to develop human spaceflight capabilities first. While China's rapid assembly was impressive, India's methodical approach may prove more sustainable in the long run.

Originally planned to be completed by 2030, it was later postponed to 2035 due to delays caused by technical issues related to the Gaganyaan crewed spaceflight mission and the COVID-19 pandemic in India. This sequential approach makes sense—India must first prove it can safely send and return astronauts before attempting a permanent space station.

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