India's Historic Space Milestones Lauded by Former NASA Astronaut

Steve Lee Smith, ex-NASA astronaut, praised India's recent space achievements, highlighting historic missions to Mars and the Moon. With future plans for human spaceflight and a space station, India's space endeavors continue to gain global respect. NASA assists in training Indian astronauts for upcoming missions.

In a glowing commendation, former NASA astronaut Steve Lee Smith extolled India's space accomplishments. Speaking to ANI, Smith noted India's unprecedented achievements, stating, "India has been very successful in space in the last 20 years, very well respected around the world. Mission Over Mars to circle Mars, it was the first time a country had ever done that. India landed on the moon last year. In world history, they just did something no one has ever done."

Building on this momentum, India is poised to send its own astronauts to space, with plans for human spaceflight well underway. "India is preparing its own capsule to send humans to space and they have named their astronauts also. Hopefully, Indian astronauts on an India's spaceship will go into space," Smith expressed. NASA is set to train two Indian astronauts, one of whom will join the International Space Station (ISS) later this year. ISRO chairman S Somanath earlier mentioned that four astronauts will likely be selected for training.

India's planned space station, the Bharatiya Antariksha Station, is set to be operational by 2035. Built and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), this station will be smaller than the ISS, with a mass of 20 tonnes. It will perform microgravity experiments while orbiting at an altitude of 400km. On another significant note, India's first solar mission, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, achieved its targeted halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 point on July 3, showcasing India's growing capabilities in space research and exploration.

(With inputs from agencies.)