On August 20, ISRO Chairman S. Somanath announced that the Indian Space Research Organisation has finalized the designs for its upcoming lunar missions, Chandrayaan-4 and Chandrayaan-5, and is now seeking government approval to proceed. The Chandrayaan-4 mission will aim to bring moon rocks and soil back to Earth after a soft landing on the lunar surface, launch a spacecraft from the moon, conduct a space docking experiment in lunar orbit, and return the samples to Earth.
“We have a series of missions to go to the moon. Chandrayaan-3 is over. Now, design for Chandrayaan 4 and 5 has been completed and we are seeking approval of the government,” Mr. Somanath told reporters during an event organized by the All India Council for Technical Education and Indian Space Association.
In addition to lunar missions, ISRO is planning an ambitious satellite launch schedule over the next five years. The agency intends to deploy 70 satellites, including a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites to meet various governmental needs. This includes four satellites for the NAVIC regional navigation system, INSAT 4D weather satellites, Resourcesat series for earth observation, Cartosat satellites for high-resolution imaging, and the development of Oceansat series and technology demonstration satellites to showcase electric propulsion systems and quantum key distribution technologies.
ISRO is also advancing other projects, such as data relay satellites for the Gaganyaan mission, high throughput satellites for internet connectivity, and the GSAT satellite, which is preparing for launch on a SpaceX Falcon rocket.
Regarding the Gaganyaan mission, Mr. Somanath confirmed that the first unmanned mission is scheduled for December this year. All rocket stages have arrived at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, while the Crew Module is being prepared at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, and the service module is under integration at the U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bangalore. The Crew Escape System has already reached Sriharikota.
