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 19-Sep-2024

Cabinet Approves Funds for Four Space Missions

Science & Technology

Why in the News?

  • The Union Cabinet approved four major space projects, including a mission to Venus, a lunar mission, future Gaganyaan missions, and plans for an Indian Space Station by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), all aligned with the space agency's Vision 2047 roadmap.

About the Projects

  • Venus Mission
    • Planned launch: March 2028, when Earth and Venus are closest.
    • It is India's second planetary mission after Mars Orbiter Mission (2014).
    • Project cost: ₹1,236 crore.
    • Orbiter to study Venus' surface, dust, clouds, volcanism, atmosphere, ionosphere, and interaction with the sun.
  • Chandrayaan-4 Mission
    • Project cost: ₹2,014 crore over 36 months.
    • It involves five modules launched on two different flights.
    • Mission goals: Land on the moon, collect and store samples in vacuum containers, and return them to Earth.
    • It includes docking and undocking of spacecraft in orbit, a first for India.
    • India aims for a human mission to the moon by 2040.
  • Gaganyaan Mission & Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS)
    • BAS project cost: ₹20,193 crore, with a completion deadline of December 2029.
    • It will involve eight missions, including four for building the space station.
    • Two uncrewed and one crewed Gaganyaan missions already approved for India's first human spaceflight.
  • Next Generation Launch Vehicle
    • Project cost: ₹8,239 crore over 96 months (first launch in 84 months).
    • It will increase ISRO's launch capacity from 10 tons to 30 tons to low Earth orbit.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

  • Founded: August 15, 1969
  • Headquarters: Bengaluru
  • Chairman: S. Somanath
  • It is India's national space agency.
  • It operates under the Department of Space (DoS), which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India.
  • Objective: To harness space technology for national development while conducting scientific research and planetary exploration.
  • By 2040, it aims to send humans to the Moon and set up an Indian Space Station.
  • Key Achievements
    • Aryabhata (1975): India’s first satellite, launched by the Soviet Union.
    • SLV-3 (1980): Its first successful launch of a satellite using an indigenous launch vehicle.
    • Chandrayaan-1 (2008): India's first lunar mission, which confirmed the presence of water on the Moon.
    • Mangalyaan (2014): Mars Orbiter Mission, making India the first Asian country to reach Mars and the fourth space agency globally to do so in its first attempt.
    • Chandrayaan-2 (2019): Follow-up lunar mission, aimed at a soft landing on the Moon's south pole.
    • Chandrayaan-3 (2023): India successfully landed a spacecraft near the Moon’s south pole, becoming the fourth country to achieve a soft lunar landing.
    • Aditya-L1: A planned mission to study the Sun.
  • It is known for launching satellites for foreign clients through its Antrix Corporation and has emerged as a cost-effective provider for commercial satellite launches.
  • Satellite Launch Vehicles
    • PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle): Known for reliability, used for launching satellites into polar orbits.
    • GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle): Capable of launching heavier payloads into geosynchronous transfer orbits.
    • GSLV Mk III: ISRO’s most powerful launcher, used in the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.