‘Enormous task ahead of ISRO to realise Indian Space Vision’

A senior Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official has said that the space agency has an enormous task ahead to realise the Indian Space Vision 2047, which includes the setting up of Bharatiya Antariksha Station (BAS) by 2035 and sending Indian astronauts to the moon by 2040.

S. Sivakumar, programme director, Space Transportation System, ISRO, while delivering a talk on ‘Space Transportation System —Present and Future’ on Sunday said, ”The Prime Minister recently declared the Space Vision which talks about sending the first module of the BAS by 2028. We need to have an operation station by 2035 and a lunar fly by 2035 before the actual manned mission to the moon by 2040.”

Mr. Sivakumar who is also the Project Director, Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), which will play a significant role in realising the two ambitious projects said, ”This is an enormous task. In fact, all tasks are completely new to us including building of the space habitat or space module build up. Also, the lunar landing requires a different dimensioning of the vehicle as well as the systems.”

Recently, the Cabinet approved the development of NGLV which will have three times the present payload capability with 1.5 times the cost compared to Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3), and will also have reusability resulting in low-cost access to space and modular green propulsion systems.

The Union government has said that the development of the NGLV is taken up which is designed to have a maximum payload capability of 30 tonnes to Low Earth Orbit, which also has a reusable first stage.

“Currently, India has achieved self-reliance in space transportation systems to launch satellites up to 10 tonnes to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and four tonnes to Geo-Synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) through the currently operational Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3) and Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV),” the government said.

The total fund approved is ₹8,240 crore and includes the development costs, three developmental flights, essential facility establishment, programme management and a launch campaign.

Mr. Sivakumar said the intention of a space transportation system is to have assured access to space in a cost-effective, reliable method that guarantees efficient delivery of payloads which can be cargo or human or any other scientific experiments into space.