further clarified saying that their emphasis and priorities
are going to be on these two projects for this year and
that they are manning up with more experience from
Chandrayaan 2 to ensure that the same doesn’t have in
the next mission.
Sivan also stated saying that ISRO has also acquired
the land that would be required for the setting up of the
second spacecraft located in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.
It is also going to be the site for the maiden launch of
another space craft, the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle
(SSLV).
The project has been approved by the government
already and the allotted amount required for the project
has also been sanctioned accordingly. Sivan said that the
progress with the Chandrayaan 3 is going quite smoothly.
When asked about why the budget of the Chandrayaan
3 is lesser than the Chandrayaan 3, Sivan explained
saying that the orbiter from Chandrayaan 2, which is
successfully orbiting the Moon around 100 kms away has
a life span of around seven years. This is the reason why
Chandrayaan 3 is going to be carrying just the rover and
the lander.
With a budget of INR 6.5 billion,
cheaper than Chandrayaan 2, this
is expected to be the cheapest
moon mission in the world till date.
Chandrayaan 2 did fall short with
the expectations in the last minute
but ISRO is all set to come back
with double the enthusiasm with
their next mission. The organization
is gearing up for their next launch.
Apart from Chandrayaan 3, ISRO is
also focusing on preparing for their
maiden human spaceflight program,
Gangayaan. In one of the New
Years press briefing, the ISRO chief
This is the reason why the cost of the mission has come
down to around INR 6.5 billion instead of the expected
INR 10 billion. The one factor that is the same for both
of the projects is the Bahubali rocket. For the launch of
the Chandrayaan 3, the scientists have decided that they
are yet again going to make use of the India’s ‘fat boy’
geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV).
With all the information shared, there is still no specific
date allotted to the final launch of the mission. The actual
launch date is still being debated and the moment the
same is finalized, it will be released to the public. Sivan
explained saying that building and developing everything
for the Chandrayaan 3 can take somewhere around 14-
16 months.
Sivan also does believe that the launch could happen
in 2021. Even for the Gangayaan project, Sivan hasn’t
disclosed any kind of final launch date. ISRO is also
working on a number of additional projects which they
are going to complete by 2020.
JANUARY 2020 | WWW.WISHESH.NET