Jitendra Singh, the minister of science and technology, announced that India would begin the Chandrayaan-4 mission in 2027 with the goal of returning samples of moon rocks to Earth. The heavy-lift LVM-3 rocket will be launched at least twice during the mission to transport and assemble the five components in orbit. Additionally, he announced that the Gaganyaan mission, which will launch Indian astronauts into low-Earth orbit, will take place next year. With the launch of Samudrayaan in 2026, India will send three scientists in a submersible to investigate the seafloor at 6,000-meter depths. This is in line with Gaganyaan, and other significant space projects of India.