Chennai: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to embark on a series of exploration missions, including visits to Mars, Venus, and the Moon, as well as its first-ever human spaceflight program, according to Chairman S Somanath. In addition, ISRO has plans to launch missions dedicated to studying Earth’s climate and weather conditions. Somanath, who is also the Secretary of the Department of Space, discussed these upcoming missions in a recent interview with reporters.
Regarding the Gaganyaan program, Somanath revealed that the maiden TV-D1 test flight is scheduled for October 21. Speaking further about ISRO’s future missions, he stated, “We have exploration missions. We have plans to go to Mars, Venus, and the Moon again. We also have programs to study Earth’s climate and weather.” Somanath emphasized that ISRO remains committed to regular scientific missions, including the deployment of communication and remote sensing satellites. The agency also plans to focus on aeronomy, thermal imaging, and climate change impact assessment.
Addressing a query about the Vikram lander of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, Somanath confirmed that the lander had successfully completed its tasks during the lunar day and is currently “happily sleeping on the Moon.” ISRO has been attempting to re-establish communication with the rover Pragyan and lander Vikram since they entered sleep mode in September due to the lunar night. However, no signals have been received thus far.
In relation to ISRO’s first mission to study the Sun, Somanath provided an update, stating that the spacecraft, named Aditya-L1, is in good health and on a 110-day journey to the Lagrange point L1. It is expected to reach its destination the middle of January. Once it arrives, the spacecraft will enter a Halo orbit and begin collecting scientific data.
During his visit to Chennai, Somanath paid tribute to renowned agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan, who passed away on September 28. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to honor Swaminathan’s contributions and acknowledged the scientist’s legacy in inspiring young people to pursue science and technology in India.