Sriharikota: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be having its hands full in 2023 as it would be launching multiple mission including to the Sun and the Chandrayaan-3, the Moon mission.
Talking to reporters after India’s heaviest 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 said the Indian Space Agency has a busy year ahead as it would be undertaking commercial and navigation missions, besides sending spacecraft 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.
