India aims to send astronaut to the moon by 2040

India aims to send an astronaut to the moon by 2040, the government said on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued instructions to the space department that include plans for a space station by 2035.

India's space ambitions got a boost when it became the first country to land a spacecraft near the unexplored south pole of the moon in August.

After that success, India launched a rocket to study the sun and is scheduled conduct a test later this week as part of its crewed space mission.