ISRO: Chandrayaan-3 is about to complete one year since it landed on the moon. Even before this, ISRO i.e. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chairman S Somnath has given a great news. He said on Tuesday that the space agency has completed the design for the next phase of lunar mission – Chandrayaan 4 and 5 and is in the process of getting approval from the government in this regard.
What is Chandrayaan-4 mission?
The Chandrayaan-4 mission includes bringing back rocks and soil from the Moon to Earth after smoothly landing the instrument on the lunar surface, launching a spacecraft from the Moon, performing a space ‘docking’ experiment in lunar orbit and bringing back samples.
“We have several missions to go to the moon. Chandrayaan-3 mission has been completed. Now the design of Chandrayaan 4 and 5 has been prepared and we are seeking approval from the government,” Somnath told reporters on the sidelines of an event organised by the All India Council for Technical Education and the Indian Space Association here. Earlier, ISRO officials had said that the targeted launch of Chandrayaan-4 mission is the year 2028.
ISRO preparing for 70 missions in 5 years
Somnath also said the space agency plans to launch 70 satellites in the next five years, including a constellation of low earth orbit satellites to meet the requirements of various ministries and departments of the government. These 70 satellites include four satellites for the ‘NavIC’ regional navigation system that will provide positioning, navigation information services, INSAT 4D weather satellite, Resourcesat series satellites, Cartosat satellites for remote sensing and high resolution imaging, he said.
Somnath said the space agency also plans to develop Oceansat series satellites and technology demonstration satellites one and two to demonstrate electric propulsion systems and ‘quantum key’ delivery technologies. Somnath said the space agency also plans to launch a series of earth-observation satellites in the next five years.
The ISRO chief said the agency’s previously planned Venus mission has been put on hold. “We are re-evaluating the mission,” he said. Somnath said the first unmanned mission of the Gaganyaan project is scheduled to be launched in December this year. “All the systems will reach Sriharikota in the next one to one-and-a-half months where final testing and integration will be carried out,” he said.