Informist, Wednesday, Sep 18, 2024

--Cabinet Oks 82.39 bln rupees for next generation space vehicle plan

--Cabinet Oks 201.9 bln rupees for Gaganyaan follow-up missions

--Cabinet approves 12.36 bln rupees for Venus orbiter mission

--Cabinet approves 21 bln rupees for Moon mission

AHMEDABAD – The Union Cabinet today approved multiple projects and funds for the next phase of space exploration, including setting up the first unit of the country's space station for research, a venus orbiter, a manned moon mission and a next generation launch vehicle.

"The government of India has outlined and expanded the vision for the Indian space programme during the Amrit Kaal that envisages an Indian Space Station--Bharatiya Antariksh Station--by 2035 and an Indian landing on the moon by 2040," the government said in a press release after the Cabinet meeting. To realise this vision, the government approved a series of Gaganyaan and Chandrayan follow-on missions, including development of an associated space transportation and infrastructure capabilities.

The Cabinet approved 21.04 bln rupees for the Chandrayan-4 mission, to develop and demonstrate technologies to facilitate a successful manned mission to the moon. The mission would include a return journey, after landing on the moon and collecting samples to be analysed on Earth. The Indian Space Research Organisation would be responsible for the development of spacecraft and launch and the mission is expected to be completed within 36 months of approval.

The revision of the Gaganyaan programme includes the scope of development and precursor mission for Bharatiya Antariksh Station and factoring one additional unmanned mission and additional hardware requirement for the developments in the ongoing Gaganyaan programme. The Gaganyaan programme envisages building technologies to undertake a human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit and for an Indian human space exploration programme in the long run. After today's nod by the Union Cabinet, as many as eight missions would be completed by December 2028, by launching the first unit of Bharatiya Antariksh Station.

The Cabinet also approved 12.36 bln rupees to launch India's first interplanetary mission to orbit Venus in March 2028. Of the total funds approved for the Venus Orbiter Mission, 8.24 bln rupees will be spent on the spacecraft. To be led by the department of space, the mission seeks to better understand the Venusian surface and sub-surface, atmospheric processes and influence of the Sun on the Venusian atmosphere. It would also study the underlying causes of the transformation of Venus, which was once habitable and similar to Earth.

To help facilitate all of the above, the Cabinet also approved development of a next generation launch vehicle. It also approved 82.4 bln rupees in development costs, three developmental flights, essential facility establishment, programme management and launch campaign. The government has set a target of 96 months for the completion of the developmental phase of the launch vehicle.

The launch vehicle will be designed to have a maximum payload capability of 30 tn to low earth orbit, three times the present payload capacity. The proposed space vehicle would also have reusability, resulting in low cost access to space and a modular green propulsion system. End

Reported by Sunil Raghu

Edited by Aditya Sakorkar

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