Tag: CHANDRAYAAN

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INDIA’S NEXT SPACE LEAP: Chandrayaan-4, Venus Orbiter & RLV

Chandrayaan-4 mission is a step towards a manned lunar mission scheduled for 2040; Venus Orbiter Mission slated for launch in March 2028; New Reusable Low-cost Launch Vehicle is integral to India’s plans for future crewed lunar missions and the operation of the proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station.

In a series of ambitious approvals, the Indian Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has set the stage for a significant leap in space exploration and technology development. The new initiatives, announced after a meeting on Wednesday (September 18, 2024), include the Chandrayaan-4 mission to the Moon, a scientific mission to Venus, and the development of a next-generation reusable launch vehicle.

India’s Chandrayaan-4 Mission 
Building on the success of Chandrayaan-3, the Indian government has sanctioned the Chandrayaan-4 mission, a continuation of India’s lunar exploration program. The mission, costing Rs. 2104.06 crore aims to develop and demonstrate technologies essential for landing on the Moon and safely returning to Earth. These technologies include docking/undocking, landing, lunar sample collection, and safe return maneuvers.

Expected to be completed within 36 months, Chandrayaan-4 will engage various Indian industries and academia, significantly boosting employment and leading to technological spillovers into other sectors. This mission is not only a step towards a manned lunar mission scheduled for 2040 but also towards establishing a permanent Indian presence in space as envisioned with the proposed Indian Space Station by 2035.



Venus Orbiter Mission in 2028
Following lunar and Martian explorations, India is now setting its sights on Venus with the approval of the Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM). With a budget of Rs. 1236 crore, the VOM is designed to orbit Venus and delve into its atmospheric conditions and geological features. The mission, slated for launch in March 2028, aims to enhance our understanding of how planetary environments evolve, offering insights into Earth’s own environmental trajectory.

The data from VOM will be shared with the global scientific community, facilitating a deeper understanding of Venus, often referred to as Earth’s “sister planet” due to its similar size and proximity. This mission is expected to pave the way for future planetary missions and foster significant involvement from the Indian industrial and academic sectors.



New Reusable Low-cost Launch Vehicle
The Cabinet has also green-lighted the development of a Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), a project that marks a significant milestone in India’s space ambitions. This new launch vehicle will be capable of carrying payloads up to 30 tonnes to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), tripling the current capacity and incorporating reusability to reduce costs.

With a total fund allocation of Rs. 8240.00 crore, the NGLV project includes three development flights and is expected to take 96 months to complete. The development of this vehicle is integral to India’s plans for future crewed lunar missions and the operation of the proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station.

These new initiatives by the Indian government highlight a strategic and forward-looking approach to space exploration and technology. By investing in advanced missions to the Moon and Venus and developing cutting-edge launch vehicles, India is poised to significantly enhance its stature in the global space community while driving technological innovation and economic growth at home. These missions will not only deepen our understanding of the universe but also ensure India’s continued prominence in the rapidly evolving space sector.

Expanding scope of Gaganyaan

In a major leap forward for India’s space exploration ambitions, the Union Cabinet has approved the construction of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), or the Indian Space Station, to take scientific research to the next level. The Union Cabinet also gave its nod to the Chandrayaan-4 mission to the Moon, a scientific mission to Venus, and the development of a next-generation reusable launch vehicle.

The vision for space in the years to come envisages the creation of an operational Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035 and an Indian Crewed Lunar Mission by 2040. 

“Great news for the space sector! The Union Cabinet has approved the first step towards the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), expanding the Gaganyaan programme! This landmark decision brings us closer to a self-sustained space station by 2035 and a crewed lunar mission by 2040!” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. 

The union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Modi approved the building of the first unit of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station by extending the scope of the ongoing Gaganyaan program. Wednesday’s approval covers development of the first module of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS-1) and missions to demonstrate and validate various technologies for building and operating BAS. 

A national space-based facility such as the Bharatiya Antariksh Station will boost microgravity based scientific research & technology development activities. This will lead to technological spin-offs and encourage innovations in key areas of research and development, an official statement said.



Revision in the Gaganyaan Programme will include the scope of development and precursor missions for BAS, and factoring one additional uncrewed mission and additional hardware requirement for the developments of ongoing programme. Now the human spaceflight program of technology development and demonstration is through eight missions to be completed by December 2028 by launching the first unit of BAS-1.

The Gaganyaan Programme approved in December 2018 envisages undertaking a human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and to lay the foundation of technologies needed for an Indian human space exploration programme in the long run. 

“All leading space faring nations are making considerable efforts & investments to develop & operationalize capabilities that are required for long duration human space missions and further exploration to Moon and beyond,” the official statement noted.

The target of the Gaganyaan Programme is to develop and demonstrate critical technologies for long duration human space missions. To achieve this goal, ISRO will undertake four missions under ongoing Gaganyaan Programme by 2026 and development of first module of BAS & four missions for demonstration & validation of various technologies for BAS by December, 2028.

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The Key Minds Behind Moon Landing

Nearly two decades later, as the head of ISRO, Somanath seems to have set right the issues that resulted in the crash landing of India’s first moon lander called Vikram…reports Asian Lite News

They were all men in the Chandrayaan-3 mission and they were confident of soft landing the country’s moon lander on the lunar soil, a ‘Mission Possible’ after the failure of Chandrayaan-2.

Incidentally, unlike the Chandrayaan-2 mission, where a couple of women were in a lead role — with Project Director M. Vanitha and Mission Director Ritu Karidhal Srivastava — this time around it was an all male club.

In Chandrayaan-3, the Mission Director was Mohan Kumar and the Vehicle/Rocket Director was Biju C. Thomas.

“There are about 54 female engineers/scientists who worked directly in the Chandrayaan-3 mission. They are associate and deputy project directors and project managers of various systems working at different centres,” a senior official of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had told IANS preferring anonymity.

Well, the Men in Chandrayaan-3 are as follows:

Dr. S. Somanath, Chairman, ISRO

Most of the Hindu names signify a God. In the case of S. Somanath, Chairman, Indian Space  Research Organisation (ISRO), the name means Master of the Moon.

Incidentally, it was his responsibility to see India’s moon lander soft lands successfully on Wednesday evening.

As a young engineer, Somanath dared to set right an anomaly along with two of his seniors in a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) that was ready for a takeoff.

Normally in such a situation, the rocket launch would have been postponed, draining the fuel and other laborious processes. The other option was trying to set the problem right, when the rocket is fueled up-a risky proposition.

However, the three brave officials including the young Somanath set right the problem. The rocket lifted off safely and made the mission a success.

Nearly two decades later, as the head of ISRO, Somanath seems to have set right the issues that resulted in the crash landing of India’s first moon lander called Vikram.

Son of a Hindi teacher, Somanath was interested in science. Later he pursued B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering but had an active interest in rocketry.

Like a dream come true, in 1985 Somanath got a job with ISRO and joined the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, which was responsible for rockets.

Somanath took his B. Tech in Mechanical Engineering from TKM College of Engineering, Kollam and Masters in Aerospace Engineering from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore with specialisation in Structures, Dynamics and Control.

Rising up the ranks, he joined GSLV MkIII Project during 2003 and was the Deputy Project Director responsible for overall design and integration of India’s heaviest and most powerful rocket. He was the Project Director of GSLV Mk-III (now LVM-3) from June 2010 to 2014.

Somanath also led the team of LPSC (ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre) to complete the development and qualification of CE20 cryogenic engine and the C25 stage, which was successfully flown in GSLV MkIII-D1 flight.

Prior to becoming ISRO Chairman, Somanath headed VSSC as its Director.

Dr. S. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre

He is a Distinguished Scientist heading the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) – India’s rocket centre – as well as a Malayalam short story writer.

Dr. S. Unnikrishnan, is a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Kerala University, ME in Aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and a doctorate in  Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology-Madras.

That apart, he also holds an MA in Telecommunications and Space Law from NALSAR, Hyderabad.

Unnikrishan began his career in VSSC in 1985 and was involved in the development of various aerospace systems and mechanisms for Indian rockets – PSLV, GSLV and LVM3.

He played a key role in the maiden orbital re-entry experiment, Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE), right from the study phase onwards to its mission accomplishment in 2007.

He was associated with Human Spaceflight Programme from its study phase since 2004 and was the Project director for Pre-project technology development activities.

Unnikrishnan led the project team for defining the Vehicle configuration, Systems engineering and in identifying various critical technology development areas to initiate the pre-project activities.

As founding Director of the youngest Centre in ISRO, the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) Unnikrishnan has led the team for Gaganyaan Project and established the Astronaut Training Centre at Bangalore in HSFC at Bangalore.

Dr. P. Veeramuthuvel, Project Director, Chandrayaan-3

Son of a railway employee, Dr. P. Veeramuthuvel always aimed for the skies. Hailing from Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district, Veeramuthuvel completed his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and went on to get a Degree in Engineering. Later he did his PhD at IIT-Madras. He joined ISRO in 2014.

M. Shankaran, Director, U R Rao Satellite Centre

A Distinguished Scientist M. Shankaran took over as Director of U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), the lead Centre in the country for design, development and realisation of all satellites of ISRO, on June 1, 2021.

He is currently leading satellite fraternity to realise various types of satellites to meet the national requirements in the areas like communication, navigation, remote sensing, meteorology and inter-planetary exploration.

During his 35 years of experience in URSC/ISRO, he has contributed primarily in the areas of Solar arrays, Power systems, Satellite Positioning System and RF communication systems for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellites, Geostationary Satellites, Navigation Satellites and Outer Space Missions like Chandrayaan, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) and others.

He is now leading the efforts to the miniaturisation of avionics systems, indigenisation of electronics & power system components, micro/mini satellite bus development and others. He is also spearheading the avionics system design, realisation and qualification for the Gaganyaan Programme.

He joined the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), currently known as URSC after obtaining his Master’s degree in Physics from Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli in 1986.

Dr. V. Narayanan, Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre

He is the man providing the propulsion power to Indian rockets. Dr V.Narayanan, an Alumni of Indian Institute of Technology- Kharagpur and has taken his M.Tech with First Rank in Cryogenic Engineering in 1989 and Ph.D in Aerospace Engineering in 2001.

A rocket propulsion expert Narayanan joined ISRO in 1984 and functioned in various capacities before becoming Director of the Centre. As Project Director for C25 Cryogenic Project, he led the team and successfully developed C25 Cryogenic Stage.

When India was denied the complex Cryogenic Propulsion Technology for GSLV Mk-II vehicle, Narayanan played a crucial role in the successful development of Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) and contributed in making it operational for the GSLV Mk II vehicle. 

He has guided the team and designed a 200-tonne thrust Lox-Kerosene Semi Cryogenic Rocket Engine.

During the initial period from 1984 to 1988 in ISRO, he also contributed to the Solid Propulsion System realisation for launch vehicles. As Associate Director of LPSC, he was guiding the liquid propulsion activities of ISRO and was instrumental in finalising the Liquid Propulsion Roadmap of ISRO for the next 20 years.

A.  Rajarajan, Director, Satish Dhawan Space Centre

He first joined the India’s rocket centre – Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and over the years risen through the ranks and is now heading the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) that provides the solid fuel for the rocket and also the country’s rocket port in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

A Mechanical Engineer, Rajarajan joined VSSC’s Fiber Reinforced Plastics Division and over the years grew within the organisation and assumed additional challenges.

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Nation gearing up for Chandrayaan’s ’19 minutes of terror’

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft comprises a propulsion module (weighing 2,148 kg), a lander (1,723.89 kg) and a rover (26 kg)…reports Asian Lite News

Suspense and excitement are building up across the nation as India will be attempting to soft land its lander on the moon on Wednesday evening. The Rs 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission is all set to provide the 19 minutes of terror, suspense and excitement for the officials of Indian space agency and others as the lander that was carried by Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft will start its descent towards the lunar soil.

It may be recalled that the Vikram lander that was part of the Chandrayaan-2 mission a couple of years back crashed on the moon while it was on the last phase of the landing.

The recent crashing of Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft on the moon also adds to the feeling of terror, suspense and excitement about Chandrayaan-3’s lander.

If all goes well as planned on Wednesday, India will become the fourth nation in the world to soft land on the moon after Russia, USA and China. According to ISRO Chairman S. Somanath, the lander will be able to soft land even if all its sensors and two engines fail.

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft comprises a propulsion module (weighing 2,148 kg), a lander (1,723.89 kg) and a rover (26 kg).

Recently, the lander module got detached from the propulsion module and the latter is also circling the moon at an altitude of 25 km x 134 km. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the lander will begin its moon landing descent at 5.45 p.m. on Wednesday and the touch down to happen at about 6.05 p.m.

The soft landing is a tricky issue as it involves a series of complex manoeuvres consisting of rough and fine braking. Imaging of the landing site region prior to landing will be done for finding safe and hazard-free zones.

The Indian space agency said the powered descent of the lander will happen from an altitude of 25 km. The lander will be hurtling at a speed about 1.6 seconds per km towards the moon, in a horizontal position. The officials seated in the Mission Operations Complex at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), Bengaluru will remotely apply the lander brakes by reducing the speed in a process called rough and fine braking.

The rough braking will be for about 11 minutes and the remaining will be fine braking. The lander’s position will be changed to vertical and in that position, the craft will hover over the moon, taking pictures and surveying the landing zone to decide on a safe landing spot.

The lander carries the rover inside it and after safe landing on the moon, the rover is expected to roll down and do the scientific experiments assigned to it. The primary communication channel will be the Mission Operations Complex at ISTRAC, Bengaluru to Chandrayaan-3 Propulsion Module which in turn would talk to the lander and the rover.

Recently, the moon lander established communication links with the Chandrayaan-2 mission’s Orbiter that is circling the moon since 2019 and thereby having a backup talking channel. Meanwhile, the propulsion module of Chandrayaan-3 will go around the moon for some more period with its payload Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planetary Earth (SHAPE) doing its job.

The Chandrayaan-3 was put into orbit on July 14 in a copybook style by India’s heavy lift rocket LVM3. The spacecraft completed orbiting around the earth and headed towards the moon on August 1.

‘India will land on moon on Wednesday evening’

The Indian space agency is focused on landing its moon lander on Wednesday evening and is not looking at any postponement or Plan B, said a top official about the country’s third moon mission Chandrayaan-3.

“The landing is confirmed on Wednesday evening as originally planned,” S. Somanath, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

Such a confident statement indicates that all the systems of the moon lander are in good health. Somanath was reacting when queried about a senior officials’ statement saying the landing will be postponed to August  27, if there are problems in the lander systems.

The official had also said, in the case of landing on August 27, then the new landing site will be about 400 km away from the original landing site on the moon.

The Indian space agency has also tweeted that the mission is on schedule. “Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing. The Mission Operations Complex (MOX) is buzzed with energy & excitement!” ISRO said.

In case of any problem in the last minutes, then Plan B will kick in for ISRO. According to ISRO, the moon lander is capturing pictures of the landing site with its Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC).

ALSO READ-ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 moves ahead, lander module set for separation

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Chandrayaan-3 undergoes final deboosting

Following this, the module would undergo internal checks. The powered descent is expected to start on August 23…reports Asian Lite News

The second and final deboosting operation of Chandrayaan-3 was carried out successfully, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in the early hours of Sunday.

Following this, the module would undergo internal checks. The powered descent is expected to start on August 23.

Deboosting is the process of slowing down to position itself in an orbit where the orbit’s closest point to the Moon (Perilune) is 30 km and the farthest point (the Apolune) is 100 km.

“The second and final deboosting operation has successfully reduced the LM orbit to 25 km x 134 km. The module would undergo internal checks and await the sun-rise at the designated landing site. The powered descent is expected to commence on August 23, 2023, around 1745 Hrs. IST,” ISRO said on X (formerly Twitter).

Earlier on Friday, Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander underwent a crucial deboosting manoeuvre and descended to a slightly lower orbit, after successfully getting separated from the propulsion module the day before.

“The Lander Module (LM) health is normal. LM successfully underwent a deboosting operation that reduced its orbit to 113 km x 157 km. The second deboosting operation is scheduled for August 20, 2023, around 0200 Hrs. IST,” ISRO stated.

Meanwhile, the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s lander is named after Vikram Sarabhai (1919–1971), who is widely regarded as the father of the Indian space programme.

ISRO is bidding to make a successful soft landing on the moon, which will make India the fourth country in the world to achieve the feat after the United States, Russia, and China.

The stated objectives of Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, are safe and soft landing, rover roving on the moon’s surface, and in-situ scientific experiments.

The approved cost of Chandrayaan-3 is Rs 250 crores (excluding launch vehicle cost).

Chandrayaan-3 is the ISRO’s follow-up attempt after the Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing on the lunar surface in 2019 and was eventually deemed to have failed its core mission objectives.

Moon serves as a repository of the Earth’s past and a successful lunar mission by India will help enhance life on Earth while also enabling it to explore the rest of the solar system and beyond.

Historically, spacecraft missions to the Moon have primarily targeted the equatorial region due to its favourable terrain and operating conditions. However, the lunar south pole presents a vastly different and more challenging terrain compared to the equatorial region. (ANI)’

ALSO READ: ISRO brings Chandrayaan-3 closer to moon

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Moon-bound Chandrayaan-3 completes final manoeuvre

Chandrayaan-3 was launched on GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota as per scheduled launch time on July 14…reports Asian Lite News

India’s third moon mission, Chandrayaan-3 completed its final orbit-raising manoeuvre (Earth-bound perigee firing), on Tuesday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

According to ISRO, the spacecraft is expected to attain an orbit of 127609 km x 236 km. The space organisation also informed that the next firing, the TransLunar Injection (TLI), is planned for August 1, 2023, between 12 midnight and 1 am IST.

ISRO tweeted, “The orbit-raising maneuver (Earth-bound perigee firing) is performed successfully from ISTRAC/ISRO, Bengaluru. The spacecraft is expected to attain an orbit of 127609 km x 236 km. The achieved orbit will be confirmed after the observations. The next firing, the TransLunar Injection (TLI), is planned for August 1, 2023, between 12 midnight and 1 am IST.”

Chandrayaan-3 was launched on GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota as per scheduled launch time on July 14.

The journey from Earth to the moon for the spacecraft is estimated to take about a month and the landing is expected on August 23. Upon landing, it will operate for one lunar day, which is approximately 14 Earth days. One day on the Moon is equal to 14 days on Earth.

Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar exploration mission, will make India the fourth country after US, China, and Russia, to land its spacecraft on the surface of the moon and demonstrate the country’s abilities for safe and soft landing on lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3 is the ISRO’s follow-up attempt after the Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing on the lunar surface in 2019 and was eventually deemed to have failed its core mission objectives.

Chandrayaan-3 will be inserted into the Lunar Transfer Trajectory after the orbit raising maneuvers. Covering a distance of over 300,000 km, it will reach the Moon in the coming weeks. Scientific instruments onboard will study the Moon’s surface and enhance our knowledge.

Chandrayaan-3 is equipped with a lander, a rover and a propulsion module. It weighs around 3,900 kilograms.

Moon serves as a repository of the Earth’s past and a successful lunar mission by India will help enhance life on Earth while also enabling it explore the rest of the solar system and beyond. (ANI)

ALSO READ-CHANDRAYAAN-3: India’s Third Moon Mission Launch Successful

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ESA to lend tracking support for ISRO missions

According to ESA, ISRO’s Aditya-L1 solar observatory is due to launch towards the end of August…reports Asian Lite News

European Space Agency (ESA) from its various centres will be tracking India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft’s progress and health, said the space agency, adding that it will also lend support to some future missions.

The ESA will also lend tracking support for Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) next interplanetary mission — Sun Mission- Aditya L1 — a solar observatory slated for launch towards the end of August 2023, the ESA said.

And discussions are ongoing between ESA and ISRO for providing tracking support for India’s first human space mission, Gaganyaan.

Communication is an essential part of every deep space mission. Ground stations on Earth keep operators safely connected to spacecraft as they venture into the unknowns and risks of space, the ESA said.

Without ground station support, it’s impossible to get any data from a spacecraft, to know how it’s doing, to know if it is safe or even to know where it is.

ISRO operates a 32-metre deep space tracking station in India that enables it to locate, track, command and receive telemetry and scientific data from its distant spacecraft.

But sometimes, ISRO’s operators need to track or command a spacecraft when it is outside the field of view of this antenna.

“Building new giant antennas and control stations around the world is very expensive. So, like many space agencies and commercial companies across the globe, ISRO will receive support from the stations of partner organisations instead. Not only does this significantly reduce costs, but it also fosters international spaceflight collaboration,” ESA said.

With its global ‘Estrack’ network of deep space stations, ESA can help its partners track, command and receive data from spacecraft almost anywhere in the Solar System via its ESOC mission control centre in Darmstadt, Germany.

ESA’s 15 metre antenna in Kourou, French Guiana, will be used to track Chandrayaan-3 during the days after launch to help ensure that the spacecraft survived the rigours of lift off and is in good health as it begins its journey to the Moon, the ESA said.

As the spacecraft recedes from Earth, ESA will coordinate tracking support from the 32-metre antenna operated by Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd in the UK.

Goonhilly will support Chandrayaan-3’s propulsion and lander modules. Crucially, it will support the lander during the entire phase of lunar surface operations, helping to ensure that science data acquired by the rover arrives safely with ISRO in India.

Data and telemetry sent back by Chandrayaan-3 arriving via Kourou and Goonhilly will first be forwarded to ESOC. From there, they will be sent to ISRO for analysis.

“The two European stations will compliment support from NASA’s Deep Space Network and ISRO’s own stations to ensure the spacecraft’s operators never lose sight of their pioneering Moon craft,” the ESA added.

According to ESA, ISRO’s Aditya-L1 solar observatory is due to launch towards the end of August.

Aditya-L1 is named after the Hindu Sun god and the spacecraft’s future home, L1 — the first Lagrange point of the Earth-Sun system. It will study a number of properties of our star, such as the dynamics and origins of coronal mass ejections, the ESA remarked.

The ESA support to Aditya-L1 will include similar tracking activities from Kourou and Goonhilly. But it will also include support from the largest of ESA’s antennas — the three 35-metre deep space antennas, located in New Norcia, Australia, Malargue, Argentina, and Cebreros, Spain.

These stations are used by ESA every day to communicate with its expanding fleet of Solar System explorers such as Juice, BepiColombo and Solar Orbiter, and space observatories such as Gaia and the recently launched Euclid. They also support missions flown by ESA’s institutional and commercial partners.

“ESA Flight Dynamics experts were also involved in the support to Aditya-L1. ESA assisted with the validation of the ‘orbit determination’ software that ISRO will use for the Aditya-L1 mission. This software is vital for calculating exactly where your spacecraft is in order to communicate with it and calibrate its scientific instruments,” the ESA said.

Discussions are underway regarding potential ESA ground station support for India’s first human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, the space agency added.

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Chandrayaan-3: India shoots for the moon

The ‘Launch Rehearsal’ simulating the entire launch preparation and process has been concluded by the ISRO….reports Asian Lite News

Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar exploration mission, will make India the fourth country to land its spacecraft on the surface of the moon and demonstrate the country’s abilities for safe and soft landing on lunar surface.

The countdown for the launch of mission begins today ahead of take off on Friday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

“Mission Readiness Review is completed. The board has authorised the launch. The countdown begins tomorrow,” ISRO said in a tweet.

It will be launched on a GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy lift launch vehicle.

This will be Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) follow-up attempt after Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing in 2019.

The ‘Launch Rehearsal’ simulating the entire launch preparation and process has been concluded by the ISRO.

If all goes well, Chandrayaan-3 will be the first spacecraft to land on Moon’s South Pole, demonstrating India’s technical prowess and bold spacefaring ambitions.

Chandrayaan-3 mission will demonstrate safe and soft landing on lunar surface, rover roving on the moon and conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

ISRO invited citizens to witness the launch of the much-awaited Chandrayaan-3 from the viewing gallery at Sriharikota.

During Chandrayaan-2 mission, ISRO lost contact with the lander when it was just a notch away from the moon’s surface.

The journey from earth to the moon for the to-be-launched spacecraft is estimated to take around a month and the landing is expected on August 23. Upon landing, it will operate for one lunar day, which is approximately 14 earth days. One day on Moon is equal to 14 days on earth.

K Sivan, former director of ISRO, told ANI that success of mission Chandrayan-3 will give a morale boost to programs like Gaganyan.

“We understood what went wrong with Chandrayan-2 when we could not land on the moon surface, we recreated the failure modes and we ensured that this time we have success. The challenge is the same as Chandrayan-2, same environment for landing. This time we hope that we have done enough based on the lesson of Chandrayan-2 that gives us more confidence. In space there are always unknown unknowns…hope that all issues are addressed and that we emerge with success,” he said.

“We are getting tech landing on a celestial body. By landing successfully, we will acquire landing technology and it will be good for future generations. A number of scientific experiments are planned and scientists will have more knowledge of moon’s geology and earth’s origin,” he added.

Mylswamy Annadurai, Mission Director of Chandrayaan-1, said Chandrayaan-3 is a very important mission.

“We have shown that we can orbit, but we could not do a soft landing, By doing so this time we can show that Chandrayan-1 was not an isolated success. Internationally, the world is looking back to the moon, the real seeding for that came from Chandrayaan-1. So we need to make this mission successful,” he told ANI.

“Hard lessons were learnt from Chandrayaan 1 and 2. At every step, we are supposed to have a plan B. There were some setbacks in Chandrayaan- 2. This time we are back on track. We are clear on what we want to do and it will ensure we can softly land on the surface of the moon. Target of landing is also larger, all elements have been tested multiple times, we hope this is a success…,” he added.

Chandrayaan-3’s development phase commenced in January 2020 with plans to launch it somewhere in 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays in the development process.

The major discovery of the Chandrayaan-1 mission, launched in 2008, is the detection of water (H2O) and hydroxyl (OH) on the lunar surface. Data also revealed their enhanced abundance towards the polar region.

“The primary science objective of the mission was to prepare a three dimensional atlas of both near and far side of the Moon and to conduct chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface with high spatial resolution,” Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre under ISRO had said.

Moon serves as a repository of earth’s past and a successful lunar mission by India will help in enhancing life on Earth and prepare to explore the rest of the solar system — and beyond.

Director of Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO), S Somanath, had said that if everything goes well, the spacecraft will land on the moon on August 23.

The date has been decided based on sunrise on the moon but if it gets delayed, then landing may take place next month, he said.  (ANI)

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Chandrayaan-3: Lift off on July 14, touch down on Aug 23

The ISRO chief made the remark on Day-1 of the Space Economy Leaders Meet held in Bengaluru on Thursday as part of India’s G20 Presidency…reports Asian Lite News

Chairman of Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO), S Somanath, has announced that the Chandrayaan-3, India’s planned third lunar exploration mission, will be launched on July 14 at 2.35 pm.

The ISRO chief made the remark on Day-1 of the Space Economy Leaders Meet held in Bengaluru on Thursday as part of India’s G20 Presidency. The meeting saw a discussion on the possibilities of bilateral partnership in sharing space economy. On the launch of Chandrayaan-3, Somanath said, “On July 14 at 2.35 pm, Chandrayaan-3 will lift off and if everything goes well, it will land (on the moon) on August 23…the date is decided based on when is the sunrise on the moon, it will depend on the calculations, but if it gets delayed then we will have to keep the landing for the next month in September.”

He also said ISRO’s prime objective was to enable a safe and soft landing of Chandrayaan-3.

“Our main objective is safe and soft landing, all equipment will be fine if it goes safe and there is a soft landing. We are good with the landing system. Rover will come out after landing, rover has 6 wheels, and we are expecting the rover will work for 14 days on the moon…With the support of multiple cameras on the rover we will receive images. We have a solar panel on the rover. We already tested it, and we have good results with the battery,” Somanath added.

The ISRO chief also informed that partnerships between space agencies, industries, and start-ups were discussed in the meeting.

On the challenges in the space economy, he said, “Challenges in the space economy, first and foremost, is it is capital intensive. So you have to invest heavily to create the capability. And the return of investment comes very late.”

Representatives from 86 space companies took part in the meeting.

India’s G20 sherpa, Amitabh Kant said India’s space economy was experiencing rapid growth with increasing revenue and more commercial actors entering the sector. He added that studies suggest it could become a USD 1 trillion sector in the coming decades.

“This exponential growth necessitates support from governments worldwide. That’s why we are discussing space as a formal element within the G20 meeting,” Kant said.

MoS, Ministry External Affairs, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, said India has more than 400 private space companies working to harness this sector.

“We also have a student outreach programme. This programme is designed to cultivate scientific temper among young minds. Space technology can bring immense predictability to the varieties of climate changes, agricultural harvest, food security, natural disasters, and even the distribution of economic drought. These uncertainties unfold the worst impact on developing countries,” Singh said.

Day-1 of the Space Economy Leaders Meet saw participation from 27 countries and 33 industries.

It showcased India’s industry capabilities in the space sector. On the concluding day, there will be a session on Space Industry partnership. (ANI)

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Chandrayaan-3 likely to be launched in second half of 2022

Chandrayaan-3 realisation resumed after commencement of unlock period and is in matured stage of realisation, said the minister…reports Asian Lite News

Chandrayaan-3 is likely to be launched during third quarter of 2022 assuming normal workflow henceforth, the Parliament was told on Wednesday.

“Realisation of Chandrayaan-3 is in progress. The realisation of Chandrayaan-3 involves various process including finalisation of configuration, subsystems realisation, integration, spacecraft level detailed testing and a number of special tests to evaluate the system performance on earth,” Science & Technology Minister and Minister of State Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Noting that the realisation progress was hampered due to Covid-19 pandemic, he said that all works that were possible in work-from-home mode were taken up even during the lockdown periods.

Chandrayaan-3 realisation resumed after commencement of unlock period and is in matured stage of realisation, the minister said.

On Monday, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) chief K Sivan said that the first uncrewed mission planned for December as part of the human space flight programme Gaganyaan would be delayed because of Covid-19, which had caused a disruption in the delivery of key components.

Before the second wave of the pandemic in April-May, Isro finished manufacturing the propulsion system for Chandrayaan -3 and started tests on it. The lander and propulsion systems were being integrated and several tests were planned for the middle of the year.

A successful moon landing would have made India the fourth country in the world to land a rocket on the moon after the US, the erstwhile USSR, and China, and the first to have landed close to the lunar South Pole.

“There were several big-ticket missions planned for 2020 and 2021; many commercial missions too. Now all the missions are getting pushed and it will have an impact on the image of India’s space mission internationally. We haven’t been able to successfully create a bio-bubble like China and US that have been carrying out missions through the pandemic,” said Ajay Lele, senior fellow working on space security and strategic technologies at Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.

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