Bharatiya Antariksh Station (Indian Space Station)

The Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) is India's planned indigenous space station, approved by the government as a natural extension of the Gaganyaan human spaceflight program. The station is envisioned as a modular orbital laboratory, with the first module targeted for launch in the early 2030s. The design leverages crew module, life support, and docking technologies being developed for Gaganyaan.

Only three entities have operated space stations: the Soviet Union/Russia (Salyut, Mir, ISS participation), the United States (Skylab, ISS), and China (Tiangong). India building its own space station would make it the fourth, demonstrating mastery of long-duration human spaceflight, orbital assembly, resupply logistics, and closed-loop life support systems.

BAS is strategically important beyond prestige. A national space station would provide a platform for microgravity research in pharmaceuticals, materials science, and biology — research that currently requires access to the ISS (controlled by Western nations) or China's Tiangong (which limits foreign access). An Indian space station would also serve as a testbed for technologies needed for deeper space missions, including India's planned lunar and Mars exploration programs.