NEW DELHI — India aims to send an astronaut to the Moon by 2040, the government has said.

The country's space goals also include plans for a space station by 2035.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced these ambitions on Tuesday and also asked scientists to work on missions to Venus and Mars.

In August, India became the first country to land a spacecraft on the Moon's south pole, and in September it launched a rocket to study the Sun.

The Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) is also working on the Gaganyaan project, which aims to send a human crew to an orbit of 400km (248 miles) and bring them back safely to land in Indian waters. On Saturday, the space agency will conduct a key test in the mission.

This will be be followed by another test flight carrying a robot to outer space before the final manned mission takes place before the end of 2024. — BBC