Enthused over its successful launch of GSLV D5 with GSAT-14 communication satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Sunday, the Indian Space Research Organisation is planning a series of GSLV launches and an experimental launch of the advanced version GSLV Mark III soon from the spaceport.
The mission has three modules - Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan)
GSLV Mark-III will be India's most powerful launch vehicle built to lift the heaviest Indian communications satellites to space.
The heaviest rocket of the Indian Space Research Organisation -- LVM3-M2/OneWeb India-1 -- blasted off from the Sriharikota spaceport on Sunday to place 36 broadband communication satellites into the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for a UK-based customer.
Indian Space Research Organisation plans to undertake next month the first developmental flight of a "game-changer" rocket capable of launching four-ton class of satellites from Sriharikota spaceport, says its Chairman A S Kiran Kumar.
"Indeed, a satisfying feeling," K Radhakrishnan who as the then Chairman of Indian Space Research Oranisation (ISRO) led the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) team said on achieving the milestone.
If the April launch of the Chandrayaan-2, the country's second mission to the Moon, is not possible, then the ISRO will aim for a launch by October.
'We are looking at a joint venture between ISRO and a few companies to assemble the PSLV and launch it from Sriharikota.' 'In a month or two, the vehicle assembly building will be ready.' 'After that, we could see 13, 14 launches a year.'
"ISRO has been launching at least one satellite every month, so our calender is perennially packed and at this point of time it looks difficult to launch the South Asian satellite in December. It could get delayed by a month," a senior official said.
'If Chandrayaan 1 had a launch with GSLV, we need not have an orbiter for Chandrayaan 2.' 'We could have gone straight round the moon and landed on the moon.'
Eminent rocket scientist S Somanath has been appointed as the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation as well as the space secretary, a personnel ministry order issued on Wednesday said.
The ISRO had earlier said Chandrayaan-2 will be launched in a window from January-February 16, 2019.Sources said it is expected by the middle of next month but no date has been finalised.
According to sources in the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency, under the Department of Space, delivery of hardware by the industry was hit due to the lockdown imposed in several States to contain the pandemic in recent months.
With the launch of GSLV-MK III, slated for April, it will be able to cater to bigger satellites as well.
Except Pakistan, seven SAARC countries are a part of the project.
Swapnila said they saw the GSLV Mk-III rocket that will launch the mission into space. "It was so huge," she added.
'We have all the technologies available, but it should be converted to something that can be commercially viable.'
Officials of the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency said the first and second waves of the pandemic have "severely affected" the Gaganyaan programme.
India's heaviest rocket ever is expected to take to the sky next January on an experimental flight whose later versions could be used to send humans on space missions.
Indian Space Research Organisation's immediate plan was the launch of two more PSLV flights this year and a GSLV launch early next year.
"The launch of Chandrayaan 2 will be in 2014. We are working towards it. It would be on a GSLV, after we launch two GSLVs within an interval of six months," ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan told reporters here soon after the launch of RISAT-1.
The feat is the second one for the Indian Space Research Organisation scientists in using the indigenously made cryogenic stage after the January 5, 2014 launch of GSLV-D5.
The Indian Space Research Organisation has resolved to alight its lander on the lunar surface with Chandrayaan-3 in addition to a maiden solar expedition in 2020.
The satellite was placed at 4.18 pm, a little over 17 minutes after the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F-01) carrying it was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
The ISRO is aiming for a soft landing of the lander in the South Pole region of the moon where no country has gone so far.
Aditya-L1 is meant to observe the corona, which are the outer layers of the Sun, extending to thousands of kilometres.
He also said it may be adopted for use in every stage of a rocket. He was speaking at the 16th convocation of SRM Institute of Science and Technology, near Chennai.
"I am really grateful to the entire ISRO family for having worked this hard and making IRNSS-1I a success," said the space centre's chief K Sivan.
The picture of Moon was taken by Chandrayaan-2's LI4 Camera from an altitude of about 2,650 km from the lunar surface.
Hours before Chandrayaan-2's 'Vikram' module's proposed soft landing on the Lunar surface, Indian Space Research Organisation chairman K Sivan said on Friday things are progressing as per plan for the much-awaited event.
Indian Space Research Organisation will announce a revised launch date later.
Most components of technology demonstration, including the launch, orbital critical maneuvers, lander separation, de-boost and rough braking phase were successfully accomplished.
If successful, this would increase capacity to hurl small satellites into space, meeting both local demand and serving global customers.
There appears to be uncertainty over availability of a lander from Russia even as the 'desi' rocket to launch the space odyssey would take time to become operational.
Here's a recap of moments captured in India in the past 24 hours.
It also carries equipment for meteorological data relay and satellite based search and rescue services being provided by earlier INSAT satellites.
ISRO chairman K Sivan said the proposed soft-landing was going to be a 'terrifying' moment.
"It is going to be the most complex mission ever undertaken by ISRO. It is going to take place between July 9 and 16, this year," Sivan said, addressing scientists from the Mission Control Centre.
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