In June of next year, ISRO wants to launch Chandrayaan-3, its third trip to the moon, with a more capable lunar rover that will be essential for further interplanetary adventures.
For Gaganyaan, the nation’s first human spaceflight, the space agency has also scheduled the first test flight of the “abort mission” for early next year.
The Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) will carry the Chandrayaan-3 (C-3) satellite into space in June of next year, according to S Somnath, the head of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), who was speaking to reporters outside of an event in Delhi.
According to him, ISRO intends to launch Indian astronauts into orbit by the end of 2024 after completing successful abort missions and test flights without crew.
After the Vikram lander from the Chandrayaan-2 mission crashed on the moon’s surface in September 2019, India’s first effort to place a rover on the moon was unsuccessful.
“C-3 is now prepared. It isn’t a copy of the C-2. There is the rover. Engineering has undergone a huge change. We have strengthened it so that it won’t have issues as it did previously “Somnath said.
“Many changes have occurred. Stronger impact legs are present. Better instrumentation will be used. Something else will take over if something else fails “declared ISRO Chairman.
He said that the rover will use several techniques to determine the height to be travelled, find risk-free regions, and have improved software.
Gaganyaan, Mr Somnath said ISRO would carry out six test flights before flying humans into orbit.
The Gaganyaan mission’s preparations, according to Mr. Somnath, are moving along at a “slow and steady pace.”
“This is the appropriate phrase to use. It’s an extremely difficult assignment. We are unable to brag about it. Very important milestones must be crossed, “added he.
After two aborted flights to show that the space agency has the ability to rescue the crew in case of emergency, Gaganyaan will make its maiden unmanned flight.
According to Mr. Somnath, the first abort mission will probably occur under transonic circumstances, when the spacecraft has reached an altitude of 10-15 km and is moving at the speed of sound.
The second would include showing off the ability to rescue the crew when the spaceship moves at twice the speed of sound and under “not so nice” aerodynamic circumstances.
The space scientists will have to use a saving mechanism to sail the crew off the launch vehicle as part of the abort operation, land the crew capsule in water, and then recover it.
“If this is a success, we’ll do it again before moving on to an unmanned mission. A full-fledged rocket will be used for the unmanned trip. It will launch into orbit and then return, “Somnath said.
He said that if these six test flights are successful, “we will repeat the abort missions two more times, followed by another unmanned trip, before the human space journey occurs.”
