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NDTV
2 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
Inside ISRO's Busy Schedule To Redefine India In Space
After the remarkable success of astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's 18-day mission to the International Space Station, the Indian space agency has a busy year ahead. Currently, it is gathering momentum to celebrate the second National Space Day on August 23 at Bharat Mandapam. In a landmark year for India's space program, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up for an ambitious slate of missions that will redefine the country's position in global space exploration. Speaking exclusively to NDTV, V Narayanan, Chairman of ISRO, outlined a packed schedule that includes nine rocket launches, the rollout of industry-built launch vehicles, and the first uncrewed mission under the Gaganyaan human spaceflight program. "This year is declared as the Gaganyaan year," said Mr Narayanan. "We will have the first uncrewed mission by this year, December. That is what the target is. A robot will go. And, you know, Honourable Prime Minister has rolled out the space sector reform. Based on that, we have assigned five rockets to the industrial consortium of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and L&T Corporation." The uncrewed Gaganyaan mission, scheduled for December 2025, will carry Vyomitra, a humanoid robot designed to simulate human responses in space. This mission marks a critical milestone in India's journey toward sending astronauts into orbit, with two additional uncrewed missions planned for next year and a crewed mission targeted for the first quarter of 2027. "The G1, first uncrewed mission, we have targeted this December, that is on track," Mr Narayanan confirmed. "And then, followed by two uncrewed missions next year, depending on how it does, followed by the crewed mission in the first quarter of 2027." In addition to Gaganyaan, ISRO is rolling out the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV N1) rocket, the first launch vehicle built entirely by the Indian industry under the new space sector reforms. Developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T), the N1 rocket will carry a technology demonstration satellite featuring cutting-edge innovations. "The first rocket is going to roll out, called N1 rocket, the PSLV N1 rocket," said Mr Narayanan. "In that, we are going to launch a technologically advanced demonstration satellite in which we are going to demonstrate a lot of new technologies, including electric propulsion and quantum." The year's launch manifest also includes several other key missions: Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) missions, aimed at providing cost-effective access to space for small payloads. Oceansat, a satellite designed for oceanographic studies and climate monitoring. NAVIC NVS-03, part of India's regional navigation satellite system, which enhances positioning accuracy for civilian and military applications. Adding to the excitement is a major commercial launch for an American company. ISRO will deploy the Bluebird 2, a 6,500 kg communication satellite, using its heavy-lift Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3) rocket. This launch is expected to take place between December 2025 and January 2026. "Before this financial year, that is going to be executed," Mr Narayanan said. "Most likely, in the December-January time frame, this will be executed. The Bluebird 2, a 6500 kg communication satellite of the US, will be lifted off and placed in orbit by our LVM3 vehicle." The successful launch of the NISAR mission earlier this year, a joint Earth observation satellite developed with NASA, has further energised ISRO's workforce. The mission's success has been a morale booster, reinforcing confidence in the organization's ability to deliver on its ambitious goals. "In fact, the recent success of the NISAR mission has highly motivated the entire team," Mr Narayanan noted. "And the team is so energised, I am confident it will deliver whatever target we have set for this year." The Gaganyaan program, India's flagship human spaceflight initiative, is particularly complex and technologically demanding. It involves developing life support systems, crew modules, and safety protocols that meet international standards. Despite the challenges, ISRO remains committed to its timeline. "Gaganyaan is a technologically advanced and complex mission," said Mr Narayanan. "And I will tell you the team, the entire team is working 24X7 with a single-minded devotion." When asked about his work ethic, Mr Narayanan humbly replied, "I sleep very little. So, most of us do whatever is required for the country and the organisation. And yes, with a minimal level of sleep." The reforms initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi have opened up India's space sector to private industry, allowing companies like HAL and L&T to take on greater roles in manufacturing and innovation. This shift is expected to accelerate India's capabilities and competitiveness in the global space market. With nine launches planned, including missions that span technology demonstration, commercial payloads, and human spaceflight, ISRO's calendar for 2025 is one of its busiest ever. The organization's ability to execute this ambitious agenda will be closely watched by the global space community.
News18
06-05-2025
- Science
- News18
ISRO To Plan Second Space Docking Mission Soon, To Approach Govt For Approval
Last Updated: The first uncrewed flight of Gaganyaan is also scheduled to happen later this year, with robotic payload Vyomitra on board. After successfully demonstrating space docking this year, Indian Space Research Organization Chief Dr V Narayanan said the agency is planning to conduct another space-docking experiment. The Spadex-2 may be launched in the coming three years, subject to government approval. The space agency is planning a proposal, which will be shared with the government soon. One the approval is granted, it is expected to take another 18 months to complete the preparation. India recently became only the fourth country in the world to successfully perform space docking with its Spadex experiment which launched on December 30, 2024. The mission involved the launch of two satellites on a single rocket which were docked and undocked in the low earth orbit amid challenging conditions. 'They are currently undocked and drifting independently of each other in space. The good thing is that still have 50 per cent propellant left and further experiments are planned," added the senior scientist. Spadex-1 was fraught with challenges which the space agency overcame and completed the experiment. The first docking was done on January 16, followed by un-docking on March 13. The second docking was done on April 20, with subsequent un-docking on April 25 following power transfer between the spacecrafts. The technology is critical for the upcoming Chandrayaan-4 slated to be launched in 2028 which will require multiple docking and un-docking in space. Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Space who was also present said, 'There are bound to be challenges. But India's record is far better than other countries when it comes to attempting new technological feats in space. Even though we didn't succeed with our first lunar landing, we aced it with our second attempt in 2023." A significant milestone for upcoming human spaceflight, the test Vehicle-D2 (TV-D2) mission has been designed to simulate an abort scenario and demonstrate the Gaganyaan Crew Escape System. The mission includes sea recovery operations for the Crew Module; mimicking procedures planned for India's first human spaceflight. Gaganyaan First Uncrewed Flight Later This Year The first uncrewed flight of Gaganyaan is scheduled in the last quarter of 2025 – most likely December. 'We will be carrying three uncrewed test flights, and two crewed test flights before we undertake the final human spaceflight," said ISRO chief Dr V Narayanan. India's most ambitious space mission – Gaganyaan – will take three Indian astronauts to the Low Earth Orbit at an altitude of 400 km and bring them safely back to Earth. The space agency has already shortlisted the astronauts – all test pilots from the Indian Air Force who have been undergoing rigorous training for the last two years. One of the shortlisted candidates, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, a decorated pilot in the Indian Air Force, will also be flying aboard the Axiom Mission-4 scheduled to take off from Kennedy Space Centre, Florida on May 29. With this, he will also become the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). Among the major missions lined up from May to July, ISRO will launch the PSLV-C61 mission carrying the state-of-the-art EOS-09 satellite. Equipped with a C-band synthetic aperture radar, EOS-09 will be capable of capturing high-resolution images of Earth's surface under all weather conditions, day or night. June will see the highly anticipated launch of the NISAR satellite aboard the GSLV-F16. This NASA-ISRO collaboration aims to study Earth's ecosystems and natural hazards through dual-frequency radar data, combining NASA's L-band payloads with ISRO's S-band contributions. The LVM3-M5 mission, scheduled for July, will cater to a commercial contract with AST SpaceMobile Inc., USA, launching BlueBird Block-2 satellites under NewSpace India Limited's commercial program. First Published: May 06, 2025, 15:54 IST
