Overview
- The government, which disclosed the plan in Parliament on Wednesday, said BAS‑01 is under development with system engineering progressing across ISRO centres.
- The first module’s development and launch carry an estimated cost of ₹1,763 crore, or about $176–187 million, budgeted for the 2025–2028 period.
- ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre issued an Expression of Interest to Indian industry to build the structure for BAS‑01, signaling a push to bring private manufacturers into the program.
- The initial module is planned to fly uncrewed in low Earth orbit at roughly 400–600 km, with ISRO targeting a five‑module station by 2035 that can later host astronauts.
- Planned capabilities include autonomous docking, robotics, in‑orbit refuelling and racks for microgravity experiments in life sciences, pharmaceuticals, material science and advanced manufacturing, supported by ongoing SPADEX docking trials.