Independence Day speech: India working towards having its own space station, says PM Modi

India is working towards becoming self-reliant in the space sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday. "The nation is proud of our space sector, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is back from the space station... in the days to come he will return to India," PM Modi said in his Independence Day address to the nation from the Red Fort. He said India is working on becoming self-reliant in the space sector as well, and is preparing for launch of Gaganyaan.

Gaganyaan is India's flagship human spaceflight programme. "We will make our own space station," he said.

The prime minister also said reforms brought in in recent times have enabled over 300 start-ups which are working in the space sector.

"Thousands of youth are working on it. This is the power of our youth... This is the confidence we have in our youth," he said.