Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Designed by: Manoj Kumar
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is bustling with a series of ongoing and upcoming space missions. Here's a concise rundown of the latest updates from ISRO
Following a triumphant lunar landing by ISRO with the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, the national space agency faces the challenge of restarting the rover and lander module after the lunar night. Despite this hurdle, the mission already achieved its primary objectives within the first 14 days of landing. Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14, 2023, and touched down on the Moon on August 23, 2023
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft has surpassed a distance of 9.2 lakh kilometres from Earth, successfully leaving Earth's sphere of influence. It is now on its way to the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1). Notably, this achievement marks the second time ISRO has dispatched a spacecraft beyond Earth's influence, with the first being the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan-1). Aditya-L1 was launched on September 2, 2023, and is anticipated to reach the Lagrange point in late December or early January 2024
Union Minister Jitendra Singh provided a significant update on ISRO's Gaganyaan mission in August, revealing that trials for the mission are slated to commence in October. He also disclosed that the upcoming second phase of the mission will include launching 'Vyommitra', a humanoid robot with a female appearance, into space. The manned mission, involving one to three astronauts, is expected to commence by 2024
According to a report by Hindustan Times, ISRO has initiated work on the Mangalyaan-2 mission, marking a return to Mars after nine years. Dubbed Mars Orbiter Mission-2 or Mangalyaan-2, this spacecraft will carry four payloads to study various aspects of the red planet, including interplanetary dust, the Martian atmosphere, and the environment
According to reports, the mission will feature a Mars Orbit Dust Experiment (MODEX), a Radio Occultation (RO) experiment, an Energetic Ion Spectrometer (EIS), and a Langmuir Probe and Electric Field Experiment (LPEX). These payloads will help unravel the origin, abundance, distribution, and flux of high-altitude phenomena on Mars
The NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) mission is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observatory jointly developed by NASA and ISRO. NISAR's mission is to map the entire globe in just 12 days, providing consistent data on Earth's ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea level rise, groundwater, and natural hazards. These hazards encompass earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and landslides. NISAR is slated for launch in early 2024
In September, ISRO Chairman S Somanath announced significant progress in the Venus mission, often informally referred to as Shukrayaan-1. The mission has now been configured, and multiple payloads are currently in the developmental phase. Somanath emphasised the unique nature of Venus as a planet, noting its intriguing characteristics. The mission is supposed to launch in December 2024
ISRO's continuous efforts and innovative missions underscore its commitment to advancing space exploration and Earth observation, contributing to a better understanding of our planet and beyond