Chandrayaan-3, Aditya-L1 mission preparations seen in latest ISRO photos; check them out

While India awaits its return to the Moon, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has shared glimpses of its preparations for the Chandrayaan-3 mission. In a documentary named "Space on Wheels", which showcased 75 Indian satellites launched to date, ISRO offered a sneak peek into the development of future missions. In the documentary, scientists were seen working on the third lunar mission along with Aditya Solar mission scheduled to launch this year.

(Image: ISRO)

(Image: ISRO)

The Chandrayaan-3 mission, which suffered delays owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, is now in full swing, Union Minister Jitendra Singh had recently confirmed. The mission will be India's third attempt to touchdown a lander on the Moon after Chandrayaan-2 launched in 2019. Chandrayaan-2 turned out to be partly successful as the lander, carrying a rover, crashed during the landing on the far side of the Moon. But, the orbiter launched during the mission is still functional and will be used for data collection in the third lunar mission. 

Aditya L-1 mission

(Image: ISRO)

Another major mission ISRO is working on is the Aditya-L1 solar mission which is likely to launch later this year. ISRO will launch a spacecraft to the first Lagrange point- about 15 lakh kilometres from Earth. The spacecraft is being launched deep into space in order to study a number of solar properties, such as the dynamics and origins of coronal mass ejections.

Recently, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that it will guide ISRO spacecraft with its global network of antennas. The agency stated that its 35-metre deep-space Estrack antennas, ranging from Australia to Argentina would guide ISRO at every step. The 15-metre antenna at Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana's Kourou and the commercial 32-metre deep-space antenna at Goonhilly station in the UK would also be used for additional support. 

"Deep space communication is an essential part of any space mission. Ground stations keep spacecraft safely connected to Earth as they venture into the unknowns and risks of space. Without ground station support, it’s impossible to get any data from a spacecraft, to know how it’s doing, to know if it is safe or even to know where it is", Ramesh Chellathurai, ESA Service Manager and Liaison Officer for ISRO had said.