The successful moon landing on Wednesday has come like a booster shot for the officials of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which is now gearing up for a mission to the Sun.
India on Wednesday evening successfully landed its moon lander near the South Pole of the moon.
Speaking to reporters ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said the Aditya-L1 satellite for the Sun mission will be launched during the first week of September.
According to him, the coronagraphy satellite will take about 120 days to travel about 15 lakh km to reach its destination to study the solar atmosphere.
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft -- the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun -- is getting ready for the launch at India’s rocket port in Sriharikota.
According to the ISRO, the spacecraft will be placed into a halo orbit around the first Lagrange point, L1, of the Sun-Earth system.
The satellite around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without occultation/eclipses.
The Aditya-L1 satellite -- named after the Sun God -- will be carried by Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The satellite will be shortly integrated with the rocket.
The Sun mission will be followed with the Gaganyaan abort mission demonstration- which is part of India’s human space mission.
The Gaganyaan abort mission will happen during September end or during the first week of October this year, Somanath said.
The Indian space agency is also planning to orbit INSAT 3DS satellite with its GSLV rocket this year, Somanath added.
After that, will be the orbiting of Anwesha satellite and XPoSAT- a X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite.
It will be the country’s dedicated polarimetry mission to study the dynamics of bright astronomical X-ray sources in extreme conditions, the government said.
The launch of the Radar Imaging Satellite - RISAT-1B - aboard the PSLV rocket is planned during 2023.
The Indian space agency is also planning to orbit two IDRSS (Indian Data Relay Satellite System) satellites.
These rocketing missions apart, ISRO will be testing the various systems that will go into its LVM3 rocket for the maiden human space mission.
ISRO has also slated a flight to Venus -- Venus Mission -- in 2024. Whether it is going to be a 'Night Flight to Venus' will be known later.
HM Shah stresses on mapping of demographic data of people along India-Myanmar border
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the demographic data of people along the India-Myanmar border, especially in Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur, should be mapped so that it can help in fencing of the border and infiltration can be stopped.
Drugs worth Rs 78 crore seized in Tripura, one held
In a major haul, the Assam Rifles in coordination with the other law enforcing agencies on Saturday seized 3.9 lakh methamphetamine tablets valued at around Rs 78 crore and arrested a drug peddler in Tripura, officials said on Saturday.
Manipur: Arms and ammunition recovered; two held with drugs
Manipur Police and other security forces recovered some arms and ammunition from different fringe and vulnerable areas and arrested two persons with drugs on Saturday, officials said.
New Maha Cabinet: Fadnavis keeps Home, Shinde gets Urban Development, Ajit Pawar in charge of Finance
Finally, the wait is over. Governor CP Radhakrishnan on Saturday approved the portfolio allocation to the ministers as recommended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The list was released after the conclusion of a weeklong winter session.
Explained: Key recommendations of 55th GST Council meet
From reducing GST rate on fortified rice kernel (FRK) to fully exempt GST on gene therapy, the 55th GST Council meeting, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on Saturday made some key recommendations to provide relief to individuals and businesses.
India a natural trade and commerce partner of Kuwait: PM Modi
India has been a natural trading partner of Kuwait and continues to be so in contemporary times and people-to-people linkages over centuries have fostered a special bond of friendship between the two countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar brings peace through meditation to UN headquarters consumed by global turmoil
Eighteen minutes of tranquility descended on the world organisation’s headquarters consumed by global turmoil as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar led a meditation session as a path to peace at the United Nations.
NE not just strategically important but also an epitome of nation's diversity, culture: Minister
Union Minister of State for DoNER Sukanta Majumdar on Friday underscored the strategic importance of the northeastern region and said that the region is not just a geographically significant part of the country but it is also an epitome of the nation's diversity, culture, and strategic importance.