Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Following its successful moon landing near the lunar south pole, ISRO is preparing for the Chandrayaan-4 mission, aiming to collect and return samples from the moon's surface, said ISRO chief S Somanath at the India Space Congress 2024 in New Delhi on June 26.
The mission will require multiple launches due to current rocket limitations. ISRO is working on developing docking capabilities in both Earth-space and moon-space systems.
However, SLIM, may still be operational despite initial setbacks, providing a glimmer of hope for its future. The spacecraft made history by touching down on the lunar surface on January 19, marking Japan as the fifth nation to achieve a successful moon landing.
ISRO Chairman S Somanath revealed that the configuration of Chandrayaan-4 has been finalized, and the project report is awaiting approval. The SPADEX launch is planned for November-December 2024.
GSAT-20 is set to launch in mid-August onboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite has been cleared for transport to the United States for launch.
ISRO is also focused on the Gaganyaan mission, India's initiative to send astronauts into space. Three tests are planned for this year, including an unmanned mission and a pad abort test.
The joint Indo-US NISAR mission, aimed at mapping the Earth with high precision, was delayed but is expected to be ready by September-end after corrections to a component.
Somanath emphasized the need for commercial sustainability in space activities, highlighting the importance of reducing costs and increasing internal demand to support a broader ecosystem beyond lunar missions.