As part of India's ambitious plans in space, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has started work on setting up the country's maiden space station at the earliest, NDTV.       

ISRO chief S Somanath says the first modules of the space station may be launched in the next few years.

ISRO has already started developing technologies for the space station.   

The space station to be placed in a low earth orbit. The Bharatiya Antariksh Station could accommodate 2 to 4 astronauts in space. Only Russia, the US and China have sent space stations in orbit. India may become the fourth country to have an independent space station in space.

NDTV got exclusive access to an artist's impression of the space station displayed at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.    

Dr Unnikrishnan Nair, director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, says work is on in full swing and the plan is to use India's heaviest rocket, Bahubali, or Launch Vehicle Mark 3 to hoist the components into an orbit of about 400 km from earth.

India hopes to do microgravity experiments in space, including astrobiology experiments, and use the platform to explore the possibility of habitat on the surface of the moon.

According to initial estimates, the space station could weigh about 20 tonnes. It would be made of solid structures, but inflatable modules could be added. The final version could well go to about 400 tonnes. 

bd-pratidin/GR