The Times of India reports that ISRO will launch its first lunar spacecraft, Chandrayaan, in September. Officials had hoped to launch the orbiter earlier, but assembly and testing of the vehicle is taking longer than expected.
Buoyed by the recent success of its PSLV C-9 rocket, ISRO is also pushing ahead with plans to grab a share of the global launch market, the Gasworld website reports. Speaking to reporters recently, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said the nation is well positioned despite restrictions by some governments on the launch of military spacecraft aboard foreign rockets.
“Our domestic requirement is four to five launches per year and we are trying to increase commercial launches,” Nair told reporters. “We are favourably placed since our costs are about 80% of international launching costs. But some countries have restrictions on launching their satellites from other countries, as well as Indian launch vehicles. The technology which we use is applicable for dual purpose - hence some of these countries have reservations.”
The Times of India reports that engineers are making good progress in preparing that nation’s first lunar orbiter, Chandrayaan-1, for launch later this year.
The spacecraft is being assembled at the Indian Space Research Organisation’s facility in Bangalore. Officials report that five instruments from the United States and Europe have been successfully tested.
The launch has slipped a couple of months. ISRO officials have said they expect to send the orbiter off on its mission sometime in the third quarter of the year.
The Financial Express has an interesting Q&A with Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G. Madhavan Nair, in which he discusses India’s plans to explore the moon and to grab a piece of the global satellite launch market.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) made history on April 28 by placing a record ten satellites in their respective orbits in a single launch. It was a day in the sun for Indian space science and Isro chairman G Madhavan Nair, who says the mission launcher—the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV)—has now found a place in the global market. With his focus firmly on the upcoming Moon mission, Chandrayaan, slated for the year-end, Nair is aiming for a 10% slice of the $2-billion global launch business.
Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G. Madhavan Nair said on Monday that his nation plans to send a two-person spacecraft into space by 2015.
“In seven years, we must have a manned flight after three successful unmanned flights,” he said. “A small core team is already working on it and in six months we should get full approval from the Centre.”
India will use an upgraded version of the Geo-Synchronous Launch Vehicle, which on Monday launched 10 satellites into polar orbit. The Asian Age has more about the launch and India’s plans for human space exploration and a robotic lunar rover.
The Indian Space Research Organisation has developed plans for the country’s first human spaceflight in 2015, Hindu News reports.
“We have now finalized the project report on the manned mission. The report is going to the government. The government will have to review and take a decision soon,” ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said.
A successful launch would make India only the fourth nation with the capability to launch astronauts into orbit. The proposal comes amidst a general ramp-up in the Indian space program, which plans to launch about 70 space missions in the next five years, according to PressTV.
The Times of India has a brief report indicating the country may send an astronaut to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The news follows a meeting between Russian and Indian space officials in Moscow. Negotiations are reported to be in the early stages.
In April 1984, India’s first astronaut, Rakesh Sharma, flew aboard Soyuz T-11 to the Salyut 7 space station, where he spent 8 days.
The Indian government has appropriated an additional $200 million for development of the country’s nascent human spaceflight program, according to the Hindustan Times.
The funding provided to the Indian Space Research Organisation includes a near 24 percent increase to the Department of Space, the newspaper reported. Part of the allocation goes to the Indian Institute for Space Technology under construction near Thiruvananthapuram.