New Delhi: After the resounding success of Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, with its triumphant landing on the Moon’s southern pole, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is preparing for a series of more intricate missions in the near future. Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State for Science & Technology, recently revealed to the Lower House of Parliament that ISRO has ambitious plans for five upcoming science missions by 2025.
Leading the roster is Aditya-L1, a solar mission budgeted at Rs. 3.7 billion, slated for launch in the first quarter of 2023. Alongside, Chandrayaan-3, costing Rs. 2.5 billion, has already been successfully launched in the same quarter. Following closely, XPoSAT, a mission valued at Rs. 0.60 billion, is scheduled for launch in the second quarter of 2023. ISRO’s agenda includes a Space Docking Experiment, estimated at Rs. 1.24 billion, set for launch in the third quarter of 2024. Lastly, the highly anticipated Gaganyaan mission, projected at Rs. 90.23 billion, is set to take flight, with the initial Gaganyaan Abort Demonstration scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2022.
ISRO, having successfully executed 124 spacecraft missions and launched 93 of them, is poised to embark on an array of missions as part of its strategic planning from 2021 onward. Among these, ISRO is eagerly embracing 15 student satellites and collaborating with 431 foreign satellites, showcasing its global presence and collaborative spirit.
India’s Chandrayaan-3 Conquers Moon
In a momentous leap forward for India’s space aspirations, Chandrayaan-3, the nation’s lunar endeavour, gracefully touched down on the moon’s southern pole at 6:04 PM on Wednesday. This accomplishment elevates India to a prestigious group of four nations and firmly establishes its position as the pioneer in successfully landing on this uncharted lunar terrain.
This feat positions India as the fourth country, following the United States, China, and the former Soviet Union, to master the intricacies of soft moon landings. Notably, no country has hitherto achieved a landing on the challenging South Pole, believed to house vital reservoirs of frozen water and valuable elements. Recent instability leading to a crash of Russia’s Luna-25, intended for the lunar south pole, underscores the difficulty of this achievement.
Within the span of four years, Chandrayaan-3, undertaking its second lunar pursuit, gently placed its four-legged lander, Vikram, carrying the 26-kg rover Pragyan, onto the moon’s southern polar region at 6:04 PM. ISRO’s scientists adeptly navigated the nerve-wracking “20 minutes of terror” during the critical powered descent, initiated at 5:44 PM.
Following the successful landing, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) swiftly established communication links between the lander and ISRO’s Mission Operations Complex (MOX) in Bengaluru.
In the wake of this achievement, ISRO unveiled images captured by the Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera (LHVC) during the descent to the lunar surface. Amidst celebrations at MOX, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, observing this space odyssey’s culmination from South Africa, commended the scientists for their unwavering dedication. He emphasized that India’s triumph in lunar exploration symbolizes progress not only for the nation but for all of humanity.
A Glimpse Into ISRO’s Forthcoming Missions
RISAT-1A: A radar imaging satellite designed for terrain mapping and land, ocean, and water surface analysis.
Gaganyaan-1: India’s crewed orbital spacecraft and the cornerstone of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, set to be launched in 2024.
Aditya-L1: India’s inaugural solar mission, studying the solar corona using a solar coronagraph and X-Ray spectroscopic instruments.
Gaganyaan-2: An uncrewed spacecraft flight test, serving as a precursor to the first crewed mission.
NISAR: The joint NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar project for remote sensing, featuring a dual-frequency synthetic aperture radar satellite.