ISRO Chairman S. Somanath with senior ISRO scientists and the directors of various centres during a press conference after successfully launching the first SpaDeX mission, Sriharikota, December 30, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

There will be a series of space docking experiments before the Indian Space Research Organisation embarks on its Chandrayaan-4 mission to bring soil samples from the moon to the earth, ISRO has said.

On December 30, 2024, the C60 mission of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) placed two satellites, each weighing 220 kg, in orbit. They will rendezvous and dock with each other as part of ISRO’s first Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX).

ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said “the nominal time” for the docking “will be approximately January 7.”  He added, “The two SpaDeX satellites have moved one behind the other, so over a period of time, they will pick up further distance. The distance will increase by 20 km over the next few days and then the rendezvous and docking process will start.”

For Chandrayaan-4, ISRO will launch the mission’s modules in two Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3) rockets. At various points during the mission, the modules will undergo a series of docking and undocking manoeuvres before finally transporting a canister of lunar soil safely back to the earth.

A crucial technology

Mr. Somanath had said on December 31, “2025 will be an exciting year as ISRO will launch four GSLV rockets, three PSLV launches as well as an SSLV launch.” (GSLV is short for Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle and SSLV for Small Satellite Launch Vehicle).

Docking is a crucial technology for India to master for Chandrayaan-4 as well as its forthcoming orbital Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), expected to be ready by 2035, and for its goal to send an Indian astronaut to the moon.

Chandrayaan-4 study director P. Veeramuthuvel said, “Docking is important for all future missions of ISRO because you cannot launch everything in one go. So you need docking of modules in space. … There will be five modules in BAS, all of which require docking. This technology is crucial for bringing back the lunar soil samples and for India’s constant presence in space.”

The two satellites in the current SpaDeX mission are in a circular orbit 475 km above the earth. “At that height, the two satellites will be moving at a speed of 28,000 km an hour,” said former ISRO associate director B.R. Guruprasad. “You must establish the orbit of both the satellites. To bring them together, you have to match their speeds. It is not easy to match and adjust their speeds precisely, make them come close to each other and then dock. There lies the challenge.”

Chandrayaan-4 mission profile

Mr. Veeramuthuvel said at the International Astronautical Congress at Milan, Italy, in October 2024 one LVM-3 would carry the transfer and reentry modules and the other would carry the descend and ascend modules. The four modules together would weigh about 9.2 tonnes.

The pairs will dock in the geosynchronous transfer orbit and travel to lunar orbit.  Here, the transfer and reentry modules will remain in orbit while the descent and ascent modules will reach the moon’s surface. The descent module will undock from the ascent module and deploy a robotic scoop to obtain a 3 kg sample of the lunar surface and subsurface, and place it in a cartridge. The ascent module will then lift off from the moon with the sealed cartridge.

“The descent module will be dead after the ascent module lifts off,” Mr. Veeramuthuvel said.

The ascent module will dock with the transfer module, transfer the cartridge, and undock to stay in a low lunar orbit. The reentry and transfer modules will then together travel towards the earth. In the final step, the transfer module will eject the reentry module, which will descend to the ground for retrieval.

ISRO chief S. Somanath receives the IAF World Space Award for Chandrayaan-3 mission success during a ceremony, in Milan, Italy.
| Photo Credit: PTI

ISRO said on Monday (October 14, 2024) its Chairman S. Somanath has received the International Astronautical Federation’s (IAF) prestigious World Space Award for Chandrayaan-3’s remarkable achievement.

“This recognition celebrates India’s contributions to space exploration. Celebrations underway in Milan (Italy) as we continue to strive for new frontiers,” the national agency headquartered here said in an online post.

According to the IAF, Chandrayaan-3 mission by ISRO exemplifies the synergy of scientific curiosity and cost-effective engineering, symbolising India’s commitment to excellence and the vast potential that space exploration offers humanity.

“Rapidly unveiling previously undiscovered facets of the Moon’s composition and geology, the mission stands as a global testament to innovation. Achieving a historic milestone, Chandrayaan-3 becomes the first to touch down near the lunar South Pole, showcasing both aspiration and technological prowess on an international scale,” the IAF said in a statement.

Chandrayaan-3 was launched July 6 last year from Sriharikota spaceport and it successfully made the soft landing near the South Pole on August 23.

File picture of ISRO Chairman S. Somanath addressing the media.
| Photo Credit: PTI

ISRO chairman S Somanath on Tuesday (August 20, 2024) said the space agency has completed the design for the next round of moon missions — Chandrayaan 4 and 5 — and is in the process of seeking government approval for the same.

The Chandrayaan-4 mission includes bringing back moon rocks and soil to earth after a soft landing on the lunar surface, launching a spacecraft from the moon, demonstrating a space docking experiment in lunar orbit and getting the samples back to earth.

“We have a series of missions to go to the moon. Chandrayaan-3 is over. Now, design for Chandrayaan 4 and 5 has been completed and we are seeking approval of the government,” Mr. Somanath told reporters here on the sidelines of an event organized by the All India Council for Technical Education and Indian Space Association.

Earlier, ISRO officials said that the targeted launch for Chandrayaan-4 mission was 2028.

Mr. Somanath also said that the space agency was planning to launch 70 satellites over the next five years, including a constellation of low earth orbit satellites to meet the requirements of different Ministries and departments of the government.

These 70 satellites include four for the NAVIC regional navigation system to provide positioning, navigation and time service, INSAT 4D weather satellites, the Resourcesat series of satellites, Cartosat satellites for remote sensing and high resolution imaging, he said.

Mr. Somanath said the space agency was also planning to develop the Oceansat series of satellites and technology demonstration satellites 01 and 02 to demonstrate electric propulsion systems, and quantum key distribution technologies.

The ISRO was also developing data relay satellites for the Gaganyaan mission, high throughput satellites for providing internet connectivity and GSAT satellite which was getting ready for shipping to the U.S. for launch on a Falcon rocket of SpaceX, he said.

Mr. Somanath said the space agency was also planning to launch a series of earth observation satellites over the next five years.

The ISRO chief said the mission to Venus, earlier being planned by the agency, has been put on the backburner.

“We are re-evaluating the mission,” he said.

Mr. Somanath said the first unmanned mission of the Gaganyaan project was scheduled for launch in December this year.

All the stages of the rocket have already reached the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, he said.

The Crew Module is getting ready at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thiruvananthapuram and the service module was under integration at the U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bangalore, Mr. Somanath said. The Crew Escape system has already reached Sriharikota.

“All systems are reaching Sriharikota in the next one to one-and-a-half month where final testing and integration will happen,” he said.

New Delhi:

He was beaming when the Vikram Lander part of the historic Chandrayaan-3 mission touched down on the moon surface on August 23 last year. But his smile was brighter as he received today his PhD degree at the 61st Convocation of IIT-Madras.

S Somanath, an aerospace engineer and chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, is now ‘Dr’ Somanath. Somanath in Sanskrit means ‘Lord of the Moon’ and the ISRO chief, who led India’s big mission to the moon, is now over the moon after his doctorate.

Dr Somanath already had nearly a dozen honorary PhDs, thanks to his work as lead developer for India’s heavy launcher, the Launch Mark Vehicle Mark-3, and his role in successfully spearheading the feather-like touchdown of the Vikram lander nearer the South Pole of the moon. But earning a PhD through research is a different ball game and a bigger cause for celebration.

After receiving his doctorate, Dr Somanath said getting the degree from a prestigious institution like IIT-Madras is a “great honour”. “As a village boy, even though I was a topper, I did not have the courage to take the entrance exam of IIT. But I had a dream that one day I would graduate from here. I got my Master’s degree from the illustrious Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and now the PhD has been awarded by the IIT-Madras,” he said.

Speaking to NDTV, Dr Somanath said, “PhD is always difficult, especially from a reputed institution like IIT-Madras. It has been a long journey. I registered many years back, but the research subject was very close to my heart. It was related to vibration isolators, which I started as an engineer in an ISRO project decades ago. The topic remained alive in my mind, and I worked on it for so many years.”

“I must tell you that this PhD is a result of my last 35 years of work plus the effort taken in the last phase of work in converting that work into this PhD and publishing papers, attending seminars, and then defending it. You are seeing only the last phase, but it is a long journey,” he said.

The top scientist said that even during his stint as director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC), he did not pay attention to this goal. “But then I felt that I must pay attention to all such passions that I have in my life, and I must try to fulfill them.”

Dr Somanath did his schooling from St. Augustine’s High School at Aroor in Kerala’s Allapuzha district before moving to Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam. He received his graduate degree in mechanical engineering from Thangal Kunju Musaliar College of Engineering, in Kollam. He joined ISRO in 1985 and rose to become its chairman.

His bio-sketch at ISRO says that as Secretary of DoS, he piloted the National Space Policy, facilitated IN-SPACe activation, engagement of ISRO with NGPE and start-ups in space sector and enabled NSIL to aggregate user demands, take up commercial activities, including Launch vehicle production and spacecraft operations.

Chandrayaan-3 landing near the South Pole of Moon was a great success under his leadership. The Aditya-L1, XpoSat, INSAT-3DS, NVS-01, Oceansat, GSAT-24 and commercial PSLV & LVM3-OneWeb missions are some of the recent successes. Under his leadership Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) and Test Vehicle (TV) were developed and landing experiments of the Re-usable Launch Vehicle (RLV-LEX) was accomplished.

He is now playing a crucial role in the architecture of the Gaganyaan programme for sending Indians to space and achieved the first Test vehicle flight for mission abort demonstration. Currently, he is focused on the Space Vision-2047 missions that include Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan-series and other exploration missions, Bharatiya Antariksha Station development and human mission to Moon.

According to IIT-Madras, about 2,636 scholars were awarded their degrees at the convocation this year and this includes graduate students who got BTech degrees. Nobel Laureate Prof Biran K Kobilka was the chief guest at the occasion.

New Delhi:

In a rare distinction for any space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today achieved a rare hat-trick of the safe landing of an uncrewed, autonomous winged reusable launch vehicle during an experiment in this century.

ISRO said in a statement that it has proudly achieved a third consecutive success in the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Landing Experiment (LEX) today. “The third and final test in the series of LEX (03) was conducted at 07:10 IST at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Chitradurga, Karnataka,” it said.

Hat-trick for ISRO in RLV LEX!

ISRO achieved its third and final consecutive success in the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Landing EXperiment (LEX) on June 23, 2024.

“Pushpak” executed a precise horizontal landing, showcasing advanced autonomous capabilities under… pic.twitter.com/cGMrw6mmyH

— ISRO (@isro) June 23, 2024

ISRO chairman S Somanath told NDTV, “ISRO achieved a hat-trick of safe landings by the Pushpak or Reusable Launch Vehicle, now this sets the stage for the orbital test of Pushpak. It will be launched on a rocket into space, and then it can safely land on Earth. Truly a game-changer technology to reduce cost of access to space. A uniquely atmanirbhar effort by ISRO to harness reusable rockets in a swadeshi way in the 21st century.”

“Bringing the most expensive part of the rocket that houses the electronics is what makes Pushpak the futuristic rocket tech for India. ISRO continues to work hard to master technology,” he said.

The real big test will come when India goes in for the orbital test. Mr Somanath says, “The Orbital Re-entry Vehicle (ORV) will have high temperature protection tiles on its outer surface. Liquid rocket engines and a retractable landing gear. It will also have space for a payload that can be deployed through a door that will open.”

The making of India’s own delta winged ‘space shuttle’ of sorts, though uncrewed, it is indeed a big leap of faith at a point where other agencies are only attempting to bring back spent hollow rocket stages.

A whole new vehicle much larger in size will be made for the orbital test based on the success of today’s test and it will first be tested in a landing experiment before it is flown into space and brought back to Earth like a space plane.

ISRO says following the success of the RLV (Reusable Landing Vehicle) LEX-01 and LEX-02 missions, RLV LEX-03 re-demonstrated the autonomous landing capability of the RLV under more challenging release conditions (cross range of 500 m against 150 m for LEX-02) and more severe wind conditions.

RLV-LEX3 Video pic.twitter.com/MkYLP4asYY

— ISRO (@isro) June 23, 2024

The winged vehicle, ‘Pushpak’, was released from an Indian Air Force Chinook Helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km. From a release point 4.5 km away from the runway, Pushpak autonomously executed cross-range correction manoeuvres, approached the runway and performed a precise horizontal landing at the runway centreline. Due to this vehicle’s low lift-to-drag ratio aerodynamic configuration, the landing velocity exceeded 320 kmph, as compared to 260 kmph for a commercial aircraft and 280 kmph for a typical fighter aircraft. After touchdown, the vehicle velocity was reduced to nearly 100 kmph using its brake parachute, after which the landing gear brakes were employed for deceleration and stop on the runway. “During this ground roll phase, Pushpak utilises its rudder and nose wheel steering system to autonomously maintain a stable and precise ground roll along the runway,” the ISRO statement said.

According to ISRO, this mission simulated the approach and landing interface and high-speed landing conditions for a vehicle returning from space, reaffirming ISRO’s expertise in acquiring the most critical technologies required for the development of a RLV.

Through this mission, the advanced guidance algorithm catering to longitudinal and lateral plane error corrections, which is essential for the future Orbital Re-entry Mission, has been validated. The RLV-LEX uses multi-sensor fusion including sensors like inertial sensor, Radar altimeter, Flush air data system, Pseudolite system and NavIC. Notably, the RLV-LEX-03 mission reused the winged body and flight systems as such without any modification, from the LEX-02 mission, demonstrating the robustness of ISRO’s capability of design to reuse flight systems for multiple missions.

This mission simulates the approach and landing interface and high-speed landing conditions for a vehicle returning from space, which will reaffirm ISRO’s expertise in acquiring the most critical technologies required for the development of a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) asserts ISRO

India embarked on making its own version of the swadeshi ‘space shuttle’ by planning about it more than 15 years ago, but actual work, it seems, started 10 years ago when a dedicated team of engineers and scientists plunged into making RLV a reality. The 6.5 metre aeroplane-like spacecraft weighs 1.75 tonnes.

During the descent phase, which is essentially a glider like event, small thrusters will help the vehicle to be navigated to the exact spot where it is supposed to land.

The making of the Indian space shuttle or RLV has taken more than 10 years and the government has invested over Rs 100 crore in the project.

Mr Somanath congratulated the team for their efforts in maintaining the success streak in such complex missions. Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair, director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, emphasised that this consistent success boosts ISRO’s confidence in the critical technologies essential for future orbital re-entry missions.

Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi called on ISRO Chairman S. Somanath at Antariksh Bhawan in Bengaluru on June 18, 2024. 
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi called on ISRO Chairman S. Somanath at Antariksh Bhawan in Bengaluru on June 18. 

Mr. Gopi and Mr. Somanath discussed the use of space technology-based inputs for analysing the flood risk associated with the Mullaperiyar and Idukki dams in Kerala. 

In the light of increasing incidents of extreme weather events across India, the Minister expressed an urgent need to evaluate the worst-case flood scenario linked to these dams.

Mr. Somanath assured ISRO’s support in making space-based inputs, such as high-resolution terrain data, available to researchers engaged in flood modelling to assess probable inundation, and identify potential rehabilitation areas. He suggested developing a prototype solution integrating flood risk with rescue and rehabilitation planning, along with satellite communication capabilities, and capacity building on the role of space-based support for disaster management.

Mr. Gopi stressed the need to study the extent and nature of siltation in the dams, and evaluate the possible utilisation of the sludge to support local industries.

Prof. (Dr.) Jaison Paul Mulerikkal, Principal, Rajagiri School of Engineering & Technology, Kochi, and his team presented their ongoing research on flood risk modelling in the Periyar river basin. The requirement for very high-resolution terrain data was highlighted, as publicly available terrain data is insufficient for such studies. 

Sunil Paul of Christ College of Engineering, Ernakulum, briefed the gathering on development of a remotely operated solution for bathymetric survey and siltation assessment in dams.

Dr. Prakash Chauhan, Director, NRSC-ISRO, Hyderabad, and his team presented the spatial flood early warning system developed by NRSC for the Godavari and Tapi rivers, wherein high-resolution ALTM-based digital elevation data was used, and the reservoir sedimentation studies conducted at NRSC.

The team from Rajagiri School of Engineering & Technology, Kochi, plans to visit NRSC for further discussions.

Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi called on ISRO Chairman S. Somanath at Antariksh Bhawan in Bengaluru on June 18, 2024. Photo: Special Arrangement

Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi called on ISRO Chairman S. Somanath at Antariksh Bhawan in Bengaluru on June 18. 

Mr. Gopi and Mr. Somanath discussed the use of space technology-based inputs for analysing the flood risk associated with the Mullaperiyar and Idukki dams in Kerala. 

In the light of increasing incidents of extreme weather events across India, the Minister expressed an urgent need to evaluate the worst-case flood scenario linked to these dams.

Mr. Somanath assured ISRO’s support in making space-based inputs, such as high-resolution terrain data, available to researchers engaged in flood modelling to assess probable inundation, and identify potential rehabilitation areas. He suggested developing a prototype solution integrating flood risk with rescue and rehabilitation planning, along with satellite communication capabilities, and capacity building on the role of space-based support for disaster management.

Mr. Gopi stressed the need to study the extent and nature of siltation in the dams, and evaluate the possible utilisation of the sludge to support local industries.

Prof. (Dr.) Jaison Paul Mulerikkal, Principal, Rajagiri School of Engineering & Technology, Kochi, and his team presented their ongoing research on flood risk modelling in the Periyar river basin. The requirement for very high-resolution terrain data was highlighted, as publicly available terrain data is insufficient for such studies. 

Sunil Paul of Christ College of Engineering, Ernakulum, briefed the gathering on development of a remotely operated solution for bathymetric survey and siltation assessment in dams.

Dr. Prakash Chauhan, Director, NRSC-ISRO, Hyderabad, and his team presented the spatial flood early warning system developed by NRSC for the Godavari and Tapi rivers, wherein high-resolution ALTM-based digital elevation data was used, and the reservoir sedimentation studies conducted at NRSC.

The team from Rajagiri School of Engineering & Technology, Kochi, plans to visit NRSC for further discussions.

Thiruvananthapuram:

ISRO Chairman S Somanath today advised setting up libraries in temples, stating that such an initiative would help attract youngsters to places of worship.

Speaking after receiving an award instituted by the Sree Udiyannoor Devi Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Mr Somanath said “Temples should not only be places where elderly people come for nama japa (chanting the name of God), but they should also become places for transforming society.”

He urged temple managements across the country to work towards attracting young people to temples.

“I expected youngsters in large numbers at this award presentation ceremony, but somehow their numbers are considerably low. Temple managements should work towards attracting them to the temples. Why not set up libraries in temples?” he asked after receiving the award from former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair.

He said that such an initiative would help attract youth to temples where they could read, discuss various issues in the evenings, and develop their careers.

“If the temple managements work in that direction, it would bring big changes,” Mr Somanath said.

Former Chief Secretary K Jayakumar and VK Prasanth MLA were among the dignitaries who attended the function.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)