ISRO’S hands full for 2023, Sun, Chandrayaan-3 missions on the cards
Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) Oct 23 : The Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) will be having its hands full in 2023 as it would be
launching miltiple mission including to the Sun and the Chandrayaan-3,
the Moon mission.
Talking to reporters after India’sheaviest rocket GSLK-MkIII redesignated
as LMV-3 successfully injected UK-based One Web’s 36 Satellites in a
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) after a majestic lift off from the Second Launch
Pad here, ISRO Chairman Dr.S.Somanath the Indian Space Agency has
a busy year ahead as it would be undertaking commercial and navigation
missions, besides sending spacecrafts to the Sun (Aditya-L1) and the
Moon.
He said ISRO was planning to launch the Chandrayaan-3 mission by the
middle of next year–around June.
He said the integration tests are going on in resepct of the Chandrayaan-3
spacecraft. “We are planning the mission around June next year”, he added.
About the Sun mission, he said Aditya-L1– for which Senior Solar scientist
at the U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru, Dr. Sankarasubramanian K.,has
been designated as the Principal Scientist for the mission by the ISRO–will
be a coronagraphy spacecraft that would study the solar atmosphere.
The spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around the first Lagrange Point,
L1, of the Sun-Earth system.
A satellite around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing
the Sun without occultation/eclipses. This position provides a greater advantage
of observing solar activities continuously.
ISRO said Aditya-L1 will carry seven payloads to observe the photosphere,
chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using
electromagnetic and particle detectors.
Four payloads directly view the Sun from the unique vantage point of L1,
and the remaining three payloads carry out in-situ studies of particles and
fields at the Lagrange point L1.
Dr Somanath said ISRO would herald the New year with yet another
OneWeb Mission that would place another set of 36 satellites in the
LEO as done today.
He said after winding up the year 2022 with the launch of the second
Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV)–the first and maiden flight of
SSLV earlier this year was unsuccessful–in December, ISRO will be
sending a Navigation Satellite into the space as part of the NavIC
constellation next year, besides the Oceansat-3–to study the
oceans–which would carry a couple of other satellites as piggyback.