- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met H.E. Mr Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Socialist Republic of Vietnam on the sidelines of India-ASEAN and East Asia Summit 2019 at Bangkok on 04 November 2019.
- The Leaders reaffirmed the historical and traditional friendly relations between the two countries and emphasized that India-Vietnam relations have been built on a firm foundation of cultural and civilisational links and are marked by mutual trust and understanding as well as strong cooperation in regional and international fora.
- It was highlighted during the meeting that recent high-level exchanges between both countries have resulted in robust cooperation in several areas, expansion of defence and security ties, forging of closer economic and commercial linkages and deepening of people-to-people engagement.
- Noting the enhanced engagement in defence and security fields, both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in maritime domain. The two leaders discussed the threat of extremism and terrorism and agreed to work closely to tackle this menace.
- The two sides reiterated their desire to promote peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. Both leaders committed to the maintenance of a rules-based order that is based on respect for international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This will promote independence of navigation, overflight and rules-based trade in South China Sea.
- Prime Minister Modi conveyed India’s readiness to work closely with Vietnam as the incoming Chairman of ASEAN for 2020, and during its tenure as non-permanent member of UNSC for2020-2021.
The union cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the building of first unit of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station by extending the scope of Gaganyaan program. Approval by the cabinet is given for development of first module of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS-1) and undertake missions to demonstrate and validate various technologies for building and operating BAS. To revise the scope & funding of the Gaganyaan Programme to include new developments for BAS & precursor missions, and additional requirements to meet the ongoing Gaganyaan Programme.
Revision in Gaganyaan Programme to include the scope of development and precursor missions for BAS, and factoring one additional uncrewed mission and additional hardware requirement for the developments of ongoing Gaganyaan Programme. Now the human spaceflight program of technology development and demonstration is through eight missions to be completed by December 2028 by launching first unit of BAS-1.
The Gaganyaan Programme approved in December 2018 envisages undertaking the human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and to lay the foundation of technologies needed for an Indian human space exploration programme in the long run. The vision for space in the Amrit kaal envisages including other things, creation of an operational Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035 and Indian Crewed Lunar Mission by 2040. All leading space faring nations are making considerable efforts & investments to develop & operationalize capabilities that are required for long duration human space missions and further exploration to Moon and beyond.
Gaganyaan Programme will be a national effort led by ISRO in collaboration with Industry, Academia and other National agencies as stake holders. The programme will be implemented through the established project management mechanism within ISRO. The target is to develop and demonstrate critical technologies for long duration human space missions. To achieve this goal, ISRO will undertake four missions under ongoing Gaganyaan Programme by 2026 and development of first module of BAS & four missions for demonstration & validation of various technologies for BAS by December, 2028.
The nation will acquire essential technological capabilities for human space missions to Low Earth Orbit. A national space-based facility such as the Bharatiya Antariksh Station will boost microgravity based scientific research & technology development activities. This will lead to technological spin-offs and encourage innovations in key areas of research and development. Enhanced industrial participation and economic activity in human space programme will result in increased employment generation, especially in niche high technology areas in space and allied sectors.
With a net additional funding of ₹11170 Crore in the already approved programme, the total funding for Gaganyaan Programme with the revised scope has been enhanced to ₹20193 Crore.
This programme will provide a unique opportunity, especially for the youth of the country to take up careers in the field of science and technology as well as pursue opportunities in microgravity based scientific research & technology development activities. The resulting innovations and technological spin-offs will be benefitting the society at large.
Great news for the space sector! The Union Cabinet has approved the first step towards the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), expanding the Gaganyaan programme! This landmark decision brings us closer to a self-sustained space station by 2035 and a crewed lunar mission by 2040!…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 18, 2024