Space exploration: First Indian astronaut to land on the Moon by 2040, says ISRO chief Somanath

Virendra Pandit

New Delhi: The first Indian astronaut would land on the Moon by 2040, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman S. Somanath has revealed.

For this purpose, four test pilots from the Indian Air Force (IAF), selected as astronaut-designates for the Moon mission, are undergoing mission-specific training at the ISRO’s Astronaut Training Facility (ATF) in Bengaluru, he said in an article in Manorama Yearbook 2024, published last week.

“Looking ahead, ISRO aims to take the next step in space exploration with the Gaganyaan program, planning to launch a crew of 2 to 3 Indian astronauts into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for up to three days before safely returning them to a predefined site in Indian waters,” he said.

Dr. Somanath also informed about other ISRO missions.

ISRO’s inaugural manned space mission Gaganyaan involves developing critical technologies, including a human-rated launch vehicle (HLVM3) (i.e., capable of safely transporting humans), an Orbital Module comprising a Crew Module (CM) and Service Module (SM), and a life support system.

Two identical un-crewed missions (G1 and G2), besides Integrated AirDrop Test, Pad Abort Test, and Test Vehicle flights, will precede the Gaganyaan mission.

The CM is a habitable space with an Earth-like environment in space for the crew and is designed for safe re-entry.

The first development flight of Test Vehicle (TV-D1), launched on October 21, 2023, successfully demonstrated the in-flight abort of the Crew Escape System, followed by Crew Module separation and its safe recovery from the Bay of Bengal by the Indian Navy.

“The success of this test flight was crucial for subsequent unmanned missions and the ultimate human space mission, expected to be launched in 2025,” Dr. Somanath said.

Aditya L1, which is India’s maiden solar exploratory mission, is another key mission to study the Sun from the vantage point of Lagrange Point 1 (L1).

Equipped with seven scientific payloads, all developed indigenously in collaboration with various ISRO centers and academic institutions, the Aditya L1 spacecraft has been tasked to discover mysteries of the Sun, including measuring solar corona, solar wind, solar flares, and interplanetary magnetic fields.

Launched on September 2, 2023, Aditya L1, a five-year mission, is on its intended path towards Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1), approximately 1.5 million km from the planet, where it will be inserted into a Halo orbit in January 2024.

On the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, the ISRO chief said that it was a historic achievement, leading to the declaration of August 23 as “National Space Day in India” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who watched the event live in South Africa and flew directly to Bengaluru to congratulate the ISRO team.

In the mission life of 14 Earth days, Chandrayaan-3 yielded valuable lunar data, discovering aluminum, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, sulfur, manganese, silicon, and oxygen in lunar soil.

Some of the ongoing ISRO projects are the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) program, the X-ray astronomy mission XPOSAT (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite), the Space Docking Experiment, and the LOX-Methane engine.

“Together, these transformative initiatives define a new space saga in India’s pursuit of space exploration, fostering scientific progress and an ever-expanding cosmic horizon,” he said.

The SSLV, a three-stage launch vehicle, can launch a 500 kg satellite into a 500 km planar orbit and can accommodate multiple satellites. It has launch-on-demand feasibility, minimal launch infrastructure requirements, and low cost.

Planned to launch in 2023-2024, XPOSAT is India’s first dedicated science mission to investigate bright astronomical X-ray sources in extreme conditions by using scientific payloads.

Space Docking Experiment (SPADEX), planned for launch in the third quarter of 2024, is a twin spacecraft mission dedicated to advancing docking and formation flying technologies with a scope of applications in human spaceflight. The mission involves two mini-satellites – one designated as a Chaser and the other as a target, launched together as co-passengers.

“The success of the docking experiment holds significant importance in paving the way for lunar sample return missions under future Chandrayaan missions,” he pointed out.

Dr. Somanath said that PM Modi has set ambitious goals such as commissioning “Bharatiya Antariksha Station” (Indian Space Station) by 2035, and embarking on interplanetary exploration, featuring a Venus Orbiter Mission and a Mars Lander, further to strengthen India’s presence on the global space stage.

“India’s space program is poised to reach new heights in the coming years…With every mission launched and every discovery made, ISRO reaffirms its position on the global stage as a force to be reckoned with, instilling national pride and expanding India’s technological feat,” he added.