ISRO holds discussion "Inside the Chandrayaan-4 mission”: Chairman

The Indian Space Research Organization is discussing “internally” the launch plans for the Chandrayaan-4 mission and is involved in developing “novel designs” and “high-end technologies” in this regard, a senior official said on Saturday.

Following the successful launch of the Chandrayaan-3 rocket at the south pole of the moon in August 2023, ISRO has formulated a more “complex” mission to bring soil from the lunar surface back to Earth.

After the successful launch of the GSLV-F14/INSAT-3DS satellite on Saturday, ISRO Chairman S Somanath said that following the success of Chandrayaan, the Bengaluru-based space agency hopes to launch the Chandrayaan 4, 5, 6 and 7 missions in the future . 3 Mission.

“We are looking at what should be included in the Chandrayaan-4 spacecraft. The first question is what should be in the Chandrayaan-4 (as a payload). That is the question we are asking,” Somanath said.

Observing that the plan was to do something different, he said, “The first thing we decided was that at least Chandrayaan-4 should have samples of lunar soil and bring them back to Earth. We wanted to do it in a robotic way . So, that’s an ongoing discussion internally.”

“We were all involved in discussions about how to do this with the available rockets. You know going to the moon and bringing back samples is a very complex undertaking. There was no landing there (like the Chandrayaan-3 mission).

Again, another rocket has to take off from the moon, return to Earth and land on Earth, which is double the amount of work we did last time,” Somanat said. “So, our rocket today doesn’t have Fully capable. So, because of that, we are trying a novel design that I won’t tell you right now, it will be a secret,” he said.

The Minister of Space said that scientists will develop a high-end technology for the Chandrayaan-4 mission. “We are developing high-end technology to accomplish this mission. We will be back soon once the government approves it. We have to tell the government that this is the way (to accomplish the mission), this is the funding required, and then they have to approve. Only So I can tell the outside world. Until then, please wait,” he said.

Asked about today’s successful launch of the GSLV-F14 INSAT-3DS satellite, he said scientists will gradually “retire” the INSAT-3D satellite launched in 2013 as its functionality is “deteriorating”.

“We will use it (INSAT-3D) satellite for different purposes and we will inform you later,” he said, without giving further details.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)