It was a proud moment Wednesday as India put a communication satellite into orbit with its heaviest rocket and the new space mission is expected to serve the communication needs of people in the remote areas of the country. An incredible achievement by our scientists that won them appreciation from across the globe. It was a milestone for the Indian Space programme towards achieving self-reliance in launching heavier satellites.
The GSLV Mk-III will be used as the launch vehicle for India’s first spaceflight programme scheduled for 2022. Chairperson, Indian Space Research Organisation, K Sivan, rightly said, ‘The first operational mission of GSLV Mk III will be none other than the Chandrayaan 2 mission in January 2019. In addition, this vehicle will also carry Indians to space three years from now in December 2021. Kudos to this excellent, reliable and simple launcher of India.’ The first unmanned mission would be sent in December 2020 and the final manned mission, in December 2021. Sivan confirmed that India’s first manned mission would happen from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
ISRO has much bigger plans. On the Chandrayaan 2 mission, Sivan said ISRO would launch it as early as January 2020. Sivan said the Chandrayaan 2 mission has three stages. The first is the Orbiter which is in an advanced stage of development. Next is the moon lander which is in the last stages of design. ‘It’s the fast pace of the second stage that prompted us to make the early announcement. The third is the development of the Moon Rover to explore the lunar surface. Developing the Rover would be a new experience for us,’ he said. Greater moments of glory await ISRO.