By R. Anil Kumar
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Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that an Indian will land on the moon in 2040
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Chandrayaan-4 is the first step towards achieving the goal of India landing an astronaut on the moon in 2040-ISRO Chief
Bengaluru, April 10. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief S Somnath said that the next part of the Chandrayaan programme is under development, which will take forward the country’s moon exploration.
He stated that Chandrayaan-4 is the first step towards achieving the goal of India landing an astronaut on the moon in 2040.
Addressing a press conference, Somnath said, “Chandrayaan-4 is a concept that we are now developing as a continuation of the Chandrayaan series…our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that an Indian will land on the moon in 2040. So, if that has to happen, we have to have continuous moon exploration of various kinds.”
“Chandrayaan-4 is the first step in the direction….to step a craft on the moon and collect sample and bring it back to Earth. It demonstrates the full cycle of going to the moon and coming back to Earth,” he added.
Somnath further said that ISRO is working on plenty of other projects ranging from rocket and satellite projects to technology development projects.
“There are plenty. We have major projects, rocket projects, we have satellite projects, application projects and technology development projects. Rocket projects are around 5-10, satellite projects are about 30-40, and application projects are in 100s and R&D projects are in 1000s,” he added.
India took a giant leap as the Chandrayaan-3 lander module successfully landed on the moon’s South Pole on August 23, making it the first country to have achieved the historic feat.
And the ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 mission team received the 2024 John L “Jack” Swigert, Jr, Award for Space Exploration, a top award from the US-based Space Foundation, this achievement in itself speaks volumes of what the Indian Space Agency is capable of achieving, Somanath said .
This annual award honours a space agency, company, or consortium of organizations in the realm of space exploration and discovery.
The award was presented at the Space Foundation’s yearly opening ceremony of the Space Symposium in Colorado on April 8. Consul General of India in Houston, DC Manjunath received the award on behalf of ISRO’s Chandrayaan team.
Recent winners of the John L. “Jack” Swigert, Jr. Award include NASA and the University of Arizona OSIRIS-REx team, the teams behind the NASA JPL Mars Ingenuity Helicopter and InSight-Mars Cube One, NASA Dawn, and Cassini.
Space Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 offering information, education and collaboration for the global space ecosystem. Space Symposium, hosted by Space Foundation since 1984, is the assembly for the global space ecosystem.
Earlier in January, Space Foundation had announced that it has selected the Chandrayaan-3 Mission Team as the recipient of the 2024 John L “Jack” Swigert Jr Award for Space Exploration.
India was the first nation to land a spacecraft on the Moon’s South Pole. Chandrayaan-3, a mission developed by the Indian Space Research Organization, extends humanity’s space exploration aspirations to new and fertile areas for understanding and cooperation, according to the Space Foundation.
Furthermore, the technical and engineering achievements showcased by this mission show the world the unquestioned leadership and ingenuity of the people of India in the global space ecosystem.
In a press release, Space Foundation CEO Heather Pringle said, “India’s leadership in space is an inspiration to the world.” He added, “The pioneering work of the entire Chandrayaan-3 team has again raised the bar for space exploration, and their remarkable lunar landing is a model to us all. Congratulations and we can’t wait to see what you do next!”
The press release issued by Space Foundation stated, “The John L “Jack” Swigert Jr Award for Space Exploration recognizes extraordinary accomplishments by a company, space agency, or consortium of organizations in the realm of space exploration and discovery.”
“The award honors the memory of astronaut John L “Jack” Swigert Jr., one of the inspirations for the creation of Space Foundation. A Colorado native, Swigert served with retired US Navy Captain James A Lovell Jr and Fred Haise on the legendary Apollo 13 lunar mission, which was aborted after the perilous rupture of an oxygen tank while in route to the Moon,” it added.
In September last year, Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the uncharted lunar South Pole after a 40-day journey into space, making India the first country to do so. India also became only the fourth nation after the US, Russia, and China to successfully conduct a lunar landing mission.
In January, India has also placed its first dedicated solar mission, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, in the Halo orbit.
The Gaganyaan project is another major Indian mission that envisages a demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members into an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bringing them safely back to earth by landing in Indian waters.
