2027 to be a defining year for India's space odyssey: ISRO chief V Narayanan
BHUBANESWAR: Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) V Narayanan on Wednesday said 2027 will be a defining year for India's space odyssey as the country prepares to launch two historic missions - Chandrayaan-4 and the first human spaceflight under Gaganyaan programme.
During his day-long visit to the state, Narayanan visited Central Tool Room and Training Centre (CTTC) here. The centre supplies critical components to ISRO for its various space peogrammes. He also delivered a lecture organised by the Odisha chapter of Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) at SOA University to mark the National Technology Day and another lecture at Odisha University of Technology and Research (OUTR).
'Chandrayaan-4 will be the most complex and lunar sample-return mission during which samples will be collected from the Moon's surface and brought back to Earth. For the first time, India will demonstrate technologies like precision landing, docking and undocking in lunar orbit along with mid-space sample transfer and safe reentry to Earth,' he said.
Planned in the first quarter of 2027, Narayanan said, ISRO will send Indian astronauts to space for the first time, marking a giant leap in indigenous human spaceflight capabilities as part of its most ambitious Gaganyaan mission. The actual mission will follow three successful uncrewed test flights, one of which will take place later this year. It is expected to orbit Earth for a few days, validating life-support systems, safety protocols, and mission endurance.
Chandrayaan-4 will validate cutting-edge technologies that are essential for a future crewed lunar landing, targeted for 2040. The mission comprises four modules - transfer, lander, ascender and reentry. A sophisticated floor control device to be used in its cryogenic engine has been developed as part of Narayanan's PhD thesis.
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