ISRO announcement highlights: Chandrayaan-2 to launch mid-April, reusable launch vehicle to be tested

How long will Chandrayaan-2 take to reach the moon?

35 to 45 days to begin its work on the moon. Is someone goes straight, they can reach in 4 days. But ISRO plans to give the spacecraft a 6-step boost, which will take a month and a half for the mission to finally get to the moon.

ISRO’s Reusable launchers won’t work like SpaceX’s

The fourth stage of the PSLV is also something ISRO intends to design for reusability.

In an upcoming  PSLV-C44 mission , ISRO is testing an extended use of PSLV’s fourth stage for 6 months after launch. ISRO isn’t working on rockets that land vertically like SpaceX, but one that will land like an aeroplane on a runway after completing its intended launch.

On the Chandrayaan-2 mission’s rover

“It will come out of the lander, rove around and do some sub-surface exploration up to 500 meters under the moon’s surface,” Sivan said.

The life of Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter is a year, but the lander and rover will last a fortnight – 14 Earth days on the moon.

Interplanetary exploration missions to come

“We know the sun, but we still haven’t understood it,” says Sivan about the Aditya-L1 mission, which will is slated to lift off in January 2020.

Also on the cards is a mission to Venus in 2023, which we will hear more about a few months from now.

NavIC’s GPS to reach mobile phones soon 

GPS services from India’s own NavIC satellites could reach our mobile phones in just a few more months. ISRO is in talks with the government about the specifics.

Why have two unmanned missions?

The Environment, Control and Life Support systems on Gaganyaan are the biggest new component that need testing, and this will need one unmanned mission to test the new technologies developed, and another mission to verify and make sure – without the use of any animals like other early manned space experiments in the past – that it is safe and ready for astronauts.

ISRO’s startup incubator

Once the planned incubator under ISRO opens its doors to startups in India, the agency will invite proposals for problems ISRO is attempting to address and assign contracts to those that best meet their needs.

Astronaut training for Gaganyaan 

Initial training sessions for the Gaganyaan mission’s chosen astronauts will be in India, but the more advanced stages of training will be carried out abroad, most likely in Russia, Sivan said.

Chandrayaan-2 mission update

ISRO is looking a window between 25th of March to end of April for India’s second moon mission. The most likely date is middle of April for Chandrayaan-2’s launch.

While the mission was intended to liftoff between January and February, ISRO was unable to complete the required tests in time to meet the mission’s deadline.

PSLV commercial launch 

L&T and HAL will take over production of PSLV rockets this year as part of ISRO’s move to industrialize the launcher to save on time and cost.

Reusable launch vehicle demonstration

Chairman says he’s bummed that the media hasn’t given the reusable launch vehicle enough attention. He added that the reusable launch vehicle will also see a test launch this year.

New Centre under ISRO for human space program

Gaganyaan mission isn’t going to end with launching a human in space. The program will require ISRO to make big expansions, and bring new activities and plan into the fold. Space stations

A new Centre for human spaceflight program will be set up under ISRO to carry out training of astronauts and a few other engineering aspects of human spaceflight.

UNNATI and Sammaan programs

The UNNATI (UNispace Nanosatellite Assembly & Training by ISRO)  will be inaugurated later this month on 17 January, the Chairman said.

The Sammaan mission where Dr K Sivan spent time with students and spoke about opportunities and plans for ISRO and India in space was also started this year, with the first one in December 2018. This month, on the 20th January in Cochin, will be the second such session under the agency’s outreach.

An overview of how far ISRO has come

ISRO’s Chairman begins with an overview of what the agency has accomplished in 2018: 17 launch vehicle missions, 9 spacecraft missions & a crew module demonstration for the GSLV Mk-III rocket.

Also successful was a launch of the heaviest satellite ISRO has built and launched till date, the GSAT-11 into orbit .

An overview of how far ISRO has come

ISRO’s Chairman begins with an overview of what the agency has accomplished in 2018: 17 launch vehicle missions, 9 spacecraft missions & a crew module demonstration for the GSLV Mk-III rocket.

Also successful was a launch of the heaviest satellite ISRO has built and launched till date, the GSAT-11 into orbit .

32 missions in 2019

ISRO has a packed calendar over the coming few months. Here’s a glimpse of what’s in store as to launches and satellites!

The Chairman, Dr K Sivan, had announced these numbers in his New Year letter on 2 January. 

What we’re expecting

Our best guess at what the big news could be about is a date for India’s second mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-2!

Here’s a detailed look at what we know so far (save, the date) for this milestone in India’s space story.
 

Could today be the day we get a final date for India's #Chandrayaan2 mission to the moon?
Stay tuned for live updates with @woman_rednow from #ISRO's HQ as the Chairman makes a big "announcement" on some of India's upcoming space missions in 2019. pic.twitter.com/4HOA6CIbsR

— Tech2 (@tech2eets) January 11, 2019

Minutes left before K Sivan begins his brief 

ISRO announced that they’ve got some news to share today about key missions for India’s space ventures in 2019. Dr K Sivan, Chairman of ISRO is expected to take the podium any minute now and kill the suspense in the room.