NEW DELHI, May 6 (Xinhua) -- India's first human space mission has entered its final phase, and the first human spaceflight was now scheduled for the first quarter of 2027, Junior Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday.
Calling it a "historic mission", the minister said that the space program would go far beyond scientific achievement.
"It represents India's rise as a global space power built on indigenous technology, fiscal prudence, and visionary political leadership," he told media in New Delhi.
He said India is working toward achieving its twin goals of setting up India's Space Station by 2035, and sending the first Indian to the Moon by 2040.
Singh noted that Indian astronaut-designates had completed training in Russia and were now undergoing further mission-specific training in India. Meanwhile, a statement issued by India's Department of Space said that the country's space program is a powerful symbol of India's long-term economic and strategic aspirations in space. ■