Much Awaited Upcoming Missions of ISRO

ISRO launched its much adored Chandrayaan-2 mission on July 22nd, 2019 when the clock struck 2:43 pm. With the successful landing, India will become the 4th country to land on the Moon after US, USSR, and China. Not just that, with its Lander “Vikram” and Rover “Pragyaan”, ISRO will become the first space agency to explore the South Pole of Earth’s sole natural satellite.

ISRO has shown the world its calibre by completing almost every mission successfully, most of them in the 1st attempt. With the success of Chandrayaan-1, Mangalyaan (MOM) and ASTROSAT missions in the past, ISRO is set to play the most important role in future space exploration.

This success record has earned ISRO great fame, but we are not going to stop here. In the upcoming years, the Indian Space Agency is looking at many expeditions to explore the universe’s unknown. Sun, Venus, Mars, and a collaborated mission with NASA, ISRO is preparing for all of them.

1. Gaganyaan

India’s first-ever Human Spaceflight Programme, Gaganyaan is planned to be launched in December 2021. The spacecraft is being designed to carry 3 people to space who will stay there for 7 days.

2. Mangalyaan 2

Mangalyaan 2 or MOM 2 will be India’s second mission to the Red Planet. It will consist of an orbiter and might include a set of lander and rover.

3. Shukrayaan-1

ISRO plans to launch a mission to Venus sometime after 2020 to orbit the planet and study its atmosphere.

4. Aditya-L1

One of the most awaited missions, Aditya-L1 will be a 400kg probe travelling to explore our Sun. Aditya-L1 is expected to be launched in 2019-20 and will study the Solar Corona. The probe will be studying the magnetic fields caused by Sun’s Corona and its effects.

5. AVATAR

The “Aerobic Vehicle for Transatmospheric Hypersonic Aerospace Transportation” (AVATAR) will be a manned single-stage reusable spaceplane. The plane would be capable of horizontal takeoff and landing.

6. RISAT-1A

A radar imaging satellite, RISAT-1A will do terrain mapping and an analysis of land, ocean and water surface for soil moisture.

7. Chandrayaan-3

Yes, ISRO is already set for Chandrayaan 3 in 2024. It will be a joint mission with Japanese space agency JAXA and plans to bring back samples from the lunar surface.

8. NISAR

NASA and ISRO will be coming together in 2021 to launch the Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar. The first dual-band radar imaging satellite, the satellite will be used for remote sensing.

We all believe in ISRO and its efforts and are sure that each of these missions will succeed. Let’s hope everything goes right and that the space agency plays a crucial role in exploring the universe in future.