Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh), May 29 (UNI) Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) Chairman S.Somanath today said India's spaceport of Sriharikota is abuzz
with activity as the space agency has lined up a series of missions in the coming
months.
Talking to reporters after GSLV-F12 successfully launched India's first in
the series of second Generational Navigation satellite NVS-01 into a precise
orbit, he said ISRO will be having a busy year ahead as it will be taking
up a series of missions with PSLV, GSLV, the heaviest rocket LVM and the
SSLV.
The missions included the third Lunar Mission Chandrayaan-3 in July,
INSAT-3DS satellite, besides the ISRO-NASA NISAR satellite mission.
The INSAT-3DS satellite will be launched using the heavy GSLV rocket.
Apart from this, the rocket crew escape systems ahead of the maiden human
flight mission, Gagayaan will be tested in July which will be followed
by two unmanned missions.
“We are getting ready for the test vehicle mission. We have to get the
crew module and crew escape system. By July we will integrate the systems
with the rocket,” Dr Somanath said.
The safety systems of the crew module and the crew escape system will be
tested at an altitude of about 14 km.
On the second spaceport, which is coming up at Kulasekarapattinam in
Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, he said 99 per cent of land acquisition
was bee completed and the lands for the approach roads are to be acquired.
Dr Somanath said works were on in designing a new rocket that could carry
much higher payloads, besides upgrading the LVM3 rocket to carry heavier
satellites that could weigh up to 5.5 ton from the present 4 ton capacity.
UNI GV 1318