ISRO plans Sun and Moon missions in 2023 as well as commercial ones

Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh): The Indian space agency is having a busy launch schedule next year that includes commercial, navigation, sun and moon missions, said a top official.

Speaking to the reporters here Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S. Somanath said integration tests are happening with regard to the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft.

He said the space agency will look at June 2023 for the moon mission.

The ISRO is also planning to have its mission to the sun with its satellite Aditya-L1, a coronagraphy spacecraft to study the solar atmosphere, an official told IANS.

According to ISRO, the spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around the first Lagrange point, L1, of the Sun-Earth system. A satellite around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without occultation/eclipses.

The ISRO will open 2023 with the commercial launch of 36 satellites of the UK-based OneWeb, said its Chairman S. Somanath.

The first batch of 36 satellites was successfully launched on Sunday.

The UK company has contracted with NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) to pay over Rs 1,000 crore for both launches.

OneWeb is a joint venture between India Bharti Global and the UK government.

The other mission slotted for 2023 is the launch of a navigation satellite for the country’s NavIC constellation.

According to Somanath, the space agency will end 2022 with the launch of its small rocket – Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) in December.

The rocket’s maiden mission this year was a failure.

The ISRO will also send a satellite to study the oceans — Oceansat- 3 with a couple of other satellites as piggyback luggage.