Undeterred by failures, he and his colleagues are drawing lessons from Chandrayaan-2, which ended in September last year after a software glitch caused the lander Vikram to crash-land on the moon.
In an exclusive interview, Sivan talked to THE WEEK about the missions ahead. Chandrayaan-3 will reattempt a soft-landing on the moon next year; Gaganyaan, India’s first manned space mission, is on schedule; and Aditya L1, ISRO’s first mission to study the sun, will help scientists analyse the sun’s corona.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q/ What are ISRO’s major projects and missions this year?
A/ The small satellite launch vehicle (GSAT-20) is the first development flight this year. GSAT-20 is a high-throughput satellite that will provide high bandwidth connectivity to rural and remote areas of the country, such as the northeast. It will also facilitate flight connectivity.
The other major project is the Aditya L1 mission. Then there is the launch of IDRSS (Indian Data Relay Satellite System). The work on Chandrayaan-3 is also going on; it should be launched in the next 16 months or so.
Q/ What is IDRSS?
A/ The IDRSS mission is aimed at giving 100 per cent coverage for the Gaganyaan mission. It will continuously develop contact with the manned Gaganyaan mission wherever it goes. IDRSS will be placed in a geostationary orbit so that Gaganyaan can be continuously monitored.
Q/ How is work on Gaganyaan progressing?
Bu hikaye THE WEEK dergisinin February 02, 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye THE WEEK dergisinin February 02, 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Ram temple not an issue in south
Much has been said this election season about the alleged north-south divide.
Haute and sweaty
In Mumbai, where I live and work, there is a severe heatwave going on. The highest temperature this month has been 40 degrees, sweltering and humid for the coastal city.
MOVE AWAY MARY!
In many parts of the world,unique names are becoming popular
CALL OF THE WILD
Tejas Thackeray, the younger son of former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, shares his passion for wildlife conservation and photography
CEPA and beyond
Bilateral trade between the UAE and India has grown almost 16 per cent year-on-year, touching $84.5 billion
Brash and raw
When I chanced upon Raj Narain, who humbled Indira Gandhi
Lone voice of dissent
“I am keen to invite Parakala [Prabhakar] to Mumbai… What do you think? Do you know him?” A friend asked. No, I don’t know the man. And no, it is not a good idea to invite him, unless you want to invite trouble, I replied.
Modi and the Muslim syndrome
I have long been intrigued by the prime minister’s desire to hug every passing sheikh and sultan and his contrasting contempt for the ordinary Indian Muslim.
Assam Rifles not trained to guard borders; need separate force for Manipur border
Imphal is blanketed in darkness. The sun has set a little too soon in the valley, but N. Biren Singh is yet to call it a day.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE SENTINELS
Manipur government wants the Assam Rifles replaced, but the Union home ministry is focused on upgrading infrastructure and connectivity before deciding who guards the state
