Published 12:44 IST, September 5th 2019
ISRO future missions: Aditya L-1 to Sun,Gaganyaan space station
After Chandrayaan-2, the ISRO will be launching 36 new missions for the next two years. Next big projects include Gaganyaan, Aditya L-1, trips to Venus & Mars.
After Chandrayaan-2, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be embarking upon a series of 36 new missions for the next two years. This includes the launch of 19 PSLVs (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle), five GSLV Mk-II (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicles), seven GSLV Mk III and five small rockets. The next big mission for ISRO will, however, be the launch of the Aditya L-1 probe. Following that ISRO will also be launching missions to Venus and its second mission to Mars.
Aditya L-1 probe
After the Moon, ISRO is aiming for the star of our galaxy, the Sun itself. The Aditya L-1 probe, likely to be launched in 2019-20, is meant to study the Sun’s corona. ISRO on its website, states that “The outer layers of the Sun, extending to thousands of kilometers above the disc (photosphere of the Sun) is termed as the corona.” Aditya L-1 will also be studying the process of heating over the Sun’s surface. The satellite will be inserted in a halo orbit around the L-1, which is 1.5 million km from the Earth. ISRO on its website also wrote that Aditya L-1 is also likely to help many scientists across India, "This project also provides an opportunity to solar scientists from multiple institutions within the country to participate in space-based instrumentation and observations. Thus, the enhanced Aditya L-1 project will enable a comprehensive understanding of the dynamical processes of the sun and address some of the outstanding problems in solar physics."
Other Missions
The other big operations that ISRO plans to conduct include its second mission to Mars and a mission to Venus between 2022 and 2023. Apart from planetary missions, ISRO will also launch the ambitious Rs. 10,000 crore Gaganyaan project that involves the establishment of India’s first space station. Russia, during the 20th India-Russia Annual Summit, asserted that they will be helping India for training the astronauts in the Gaganyaan project. Soon a third mission to the moon, for studying and collecting the rock samples, will also be launched by ISRO. A small rocket is also being built by ISRO that can carry about 500 kg of luggage into space.
Updated 14:44 IST, September 5th 2019