Indian Astronauts Will Be On Moon By 2040, ISRO Chief S Somanath Says

Indian astronauts will be on the Moon by 2040, the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) Chairman S Somanath has said. The Indian space agency aims to send two to three Indian astronauts to low-Earth orbit for up to three days before safely returning them to a pre-decided location in Indian waters, as part of the Gaganyaan programme, Somanath told Malayala Manorama, a Malayalam morning newspaper. The ISRO Chief mentioned these details in an exclusive article for Manorama Yearbook 2024, which is an annual knowledge encyclopaedia by Malaya Manorama.

As part of the Gaganyaan Programme, ISRO has selected four test pilots from the Indian Air Force (IAF) as astronaut-designates for the first crewed mission. Somanath said that currently, the astronaut-designates are undergoing mission-specific training at the Astronaut Training Facility (ATF) in Bengaluru. 

MUST READ | Chandrayaan-3, Aditya-L1, Gaganyaan – ISRO’s Accomplishments In 2023

Gaganyaan’s first crewed mission

The first crewed mission of the Gaganyaan programme will launch Indian astronauts aboard an Orbital Module, atop a human-rated Launch Vehicle Mark III (LVM3). This means that the launch vehicle must be capable of safely carrying humans to space. The Orbital Module will be made up of a Crew Module and a Service Module, and will be equipped with life support systems. 

The Crew Module will have an Earth-like environment and will allow the astronauts to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere safely. There is also a Crew Escape System which will allow the astronauts to escape the spacecraft in case of a mishap.

Before the first crewed mission, two identical uncrewed missions, an integrated air drop test, a pad abort test, and test vehicle flights will be conducted. 

MUST READ | COP28: No Mention Of Fossil Fuel Phase-Out In Draft Deal, OPEC Pushback — Key Events As Climate Summit Comes To A Close

ISRO launched the first uncrewed flight mission of the Gaganyaan programme on October 21, 2023. Known as the Test Vehicle Development Flight (TV-D1), or Test Vehicle Abort Flight, the mission, carrying an uncrewed Crew Module and a Crew Escape System, took off from the First Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Gaganyaan TV-D1 is an important mission because it demonstrated the performance of the Crew Escape System.

An in-flight abort of the Crew Escape System was demonstrated, which means that while the Crew Module was in the air, the Crew Escape System was jettisoned. The Crew Module splashed down in the Bay of Bengal, and was successfully recovered. 

Somanath wrote in the article that the success of TV-D1 was crucial for subsequent uncrewed missions and the ultimate human space mission, which is expected to be launched in 2025. 

MUST READ | COP28: Fossil Fuel Firms Spending Millions Of Dollars On Online Promotion Of Carbon Capture And Storage As Climate Solution

The significance of Aditya-L1

The ISRO Chief said that Aditya-L1, India’s first space-based solar observatory to study the Sun, is an important mission for the Indian space agency. This is because the spacecraft will be placed in a Halo orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1k), a special vantage point which will provide Aditya-L1 an uninterrupted view of the Sun, and will also allow the spacecraft to save fuel because at this point, the centripetal force of the spacecraft will be balanced by the gravitational forces exerted on it by the Sun and the Earth. L1 is located 1.5 million kilometres from Earth. Aditya-L1 is expected to reach the halo orbit in January 2024, and will be a five-year mission. 

MUST READ | COP28: Green Hydrogen Is Most Water-Efficient Form Of Clean Hydrogen, Uses One-Third Less Water Than Blue Hydrogen

ISRO’s future space missions

Somanath also mentioned some ambitious upcoming missions, which include launches of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) programme, the launch of the X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPOSAT), which is an X-ray astronomy mission, the Space Docking Experiment, and the Liquid Oxygen-Methane Engine Experiment, among others.

The ISRO Chief said that these transformative initiatives define a new space saga in India’s pursuit of space exploration, fostering scientific progress and an ever-expanding cosmic horizon. 

MUST READ | COP28: Exceeding 1.5 Deg C Global Warming Inevitable, Food System Reforms Needed — 10 New Climate Science Insights

SSLV is a three-stage launch vehicle which can carry payloads up to a weight of 500 kilograms and insert them into a 500-kilometre orbit.

ISRO has developed SSLV to cater to the emerging global small satellite launch services market. SSLV has the capability to launch on demand. 

MUST READ | COP28: Five Out Of 26 Earth Tipping Points Are At Risk From Global Warming. Know What This Means

XPOSAT

ISRO aims to launch XPOSAT in 2024. It is India’s first dedicated polarimetry mission to study different dynamics of bright astronomical X-ray sources in extreme conditions, and will carry two scientific payloads to low-Earth orbit. 

SPADEX

The Space Docking Experiment, or SPADEX, is a mission which will demonstrate autonomous docking. It will demonstrate the technologies required for docking two spacecraft — Chaser and Target — and to control one spacecraft from the attitude control system of the docked spacecraft. After docking has taken place, Chaser and Target will be separated so that they can perform designated experiments using their payloads. The significance of this mission is that it will help ISRO conduct future planetary missions where crew transfer can be carried out in space, and also to perform lunar sample return missions. 

It is expected to be launched in the third quarter of 2024. 

MUST READ | How HIV Impacts Fertility, Infant Outcomes When A Parent Is HIV-Positive, And Treatment Options

LOX-Methane Engine

A liquid oxygen oxidiser and methane fuel engine, or LOX-Methane engine, is being developed. The engine is expected to help launch spacecraft that will allow humans to explore the environment of planets such as Mars. 

Also, methane can be synthesised using water and carbon dioxide in space. In other words, in-situ resource utilisation can be carried out in space. 

MUST READ | Tortoises, Hares, Carnivorous Mammals — Menu Of Paleolithic Humans More Varied Than Previously Thought, Says Study

India’s own space station

Somanath said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced plans to commission India’s own space station, the Bharatiya Antariksha Station, by 2035. 

Shukrayaan-1

India also plans to launch a mission to Venus. Known as Shukrayaan-1, the planned mission aims to study the surface and atmosphere of Venus. An orbiter will be launched to Venus atop a GSLV Mark III rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The mission duration is four years. 

The objectives of the mission are to study surface stratigraphy (scientific discipline concerned with the study of rock layers), analyse atmospheric chemistry, and study solar wind interaction with the ionosphere of Venus.

Shukrayaan-1 is expected to be launched in December 2024. 

Mangalyaan-2

Mangalyaan-2, or Mars Orbiter Mission 2 (MOM 2), is ISRO’s second interplanetary mission, expected to be launched in 2025. The mission is the successor to Mangalyaan-1, or Mars Orbiter Mission 1 (MOM 1).

The proposed mission duration is one year.

Mangalyaan-2 mission will consist of only one orbiter. 

MUST READ | Antibiotic Use Linked With Increased Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke In Women. Here’s Why

Mangalyaan-2 will be launched atop a GSLV Mark III rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre. 

Somanath concluded in the article that with every mission launched and every discovery made, ISRO reaffirms its position on the global stage as a force to be reckoned with.

MUST READ | Triple Drug Combinations, Stem Cell Therapy — Science Advances And Potential Treatments For COPD In Future