Action Plan For 2020 : Launch of Sun Mission, Mini PSLV, 10 Satellites And Test Flight Of Gaganyaan
The Indian Space Research organization has listed out its major to-do list for next year. Pushing towards a new high, ISRO is planning launch over 10 satellites and will be conducting a number of test flights to space, and a super important interplanetary mission to the Sun as well. ISRO is also planning to conduct its first unmanned test-flight of Gaganyaan mission carrying a humanoid.
In a report published by TOI, ISRO chief K Sivan was quoted as saying, “We are targeting to launch over 10 satellite missions next year. They will include advanced communication satellites Gisat1 and Gisat-12R and earth observation satellites Risat-2BR2 and Microsat (for surveillance). We are also targeting to launch Aditya L1 (sun) mission by mid-2020 and the first unmanned test-flight of Gaganyaan in December.”
The Aditya L1 mission will be India’s first-ever solar mission which will help scientists to study solar corona – the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere. The Corona is usually hidden by the bright light of the Sun’s surface. K Sivan stated that a PSLV will be used to carry the spacecraft and the work on the satellite is going on currently. The 400-kilo satellite will be carrying six scientific payloads and will be inserted into a halo orbit around the Lagrangian Point (L1) which is around 1.5 kms from Earth.
Sivan was also quoted by the TOI report for ISRO’s other significant missions, “The test-flight of the reusable launch vehicle (RLV) and the first development flight of newly-developed Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV or mini-PSLV) are likely to be launched by early next year.”
Also, by the end of the next year, ISRO has mapped out the Gaganyaan Mission as well. The mission includes a modified GSLV MKIII launch vehicle which will carry a humanoid robot to space and scientists will monitor the activities of the humanoid so as to prepare for a manned mission later on. This is the first test flight which will be followed by a second unmanned one in July 2021 and finally the human spaceflight mission in December 2021. ISRO has planned that they will be sending three Indian astronauts for 5-7 days so as to perform a number of experiments in space.
