Chandrayaan-3 mission: On Vikram lander, ISRO chief says, “If it wishes to wake up, let it wake up”
After the historic Moon landing made possible by the amazing Chandrayaan-3 mission through the Vikram lander, ISRO, the Indian Space Research Organisation, is embarking on an ambitious journey of exploration with a series of upcoming missions. These missions include plans to revisit Mars, Venus, and the Moon, alongside the eagerly anticipated maiden human spaceflight program. In addition to these celestial endeavors, ISRO is also focusing on missions designed to study the climate and weather conditions of Earth.
ISRO Chairman S. Somanath shared his insights about the Chandrayaan-3 mission and the Vikram Lander during a press briefing in Chennai, providing an overview of ISRO’s extensive agenda. When questioned about the status of the Vikram lander from the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which landed on the Moon on August 23, Somanath explained that the lander had performed its tasks excellently during its lunar day. He said, “It is happily sleeping on the Moon. It has done its job very well.” He then said something that instantly caught the attention of everyone. PTI quoted him as saying, “Maybe if it wishes to wake up, let it wake up. Until then, we will wait.”
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ISRO’s multiple missions
The Gaganyaan program, which aims to send Indian astronauts into space, is a significant milestone. Somanath announced that the maiden TV-D1 test flight for this program is scheduled for October 21. “We have exploration missions. We have plans to go to Mars, Venus, again sometime to the Moon,” Somanath stated.
Apart from these celestial missions,ISRO is actively working on a range of scientific missions. These include the development of communication and remote-sensing satellites. The space agency is also focusing on critical scientific inquiries, such as aeronomy, thermal imaging, and climate change impact assessment.
About Aditya-L1, Chairman Somanath informed, “After that instruments will be switched on and it will start doing the scientific data streaming. Currently, everything is very healthy on Aditya- L1.” It is currently on a 110-day journey to reach the Lagrange point L1, located around 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. The mission’s objective is to observe the Sun from this unique vantage point, providing valuable insights into solar activity and space weather. According to Somanath, the spacecraft is in excellent health and is expected to reach its destination by the middle of January.
Somanath emphasized the dual nature of ISRO’s work, which combines pioneering exploration missions with more routine satellite launches and scientific endeavors.
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