Future projects of ISRO

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This article is about the national space agency. For the ministry responsible for the space program, see Department of Space. For the preceding agency, see INCOSPAR. For the space industry, see Space industry of India.
Indian Space Research Organisation
Bhāratīya Antarikṣ Anusandhān Saṅgaṭhan
Indian Space Research Organisation Logo.svg
ISRO logo (adopted in 2002)
Agency overview
AbbreviationISRO
Formed15 August 1969; 54 years ago (1969-08-15)
Preceding agency
TypeSpace agency
HeadquartersBangalore, Karnataka, India
12°57′56″N 77°41′53″E / 12.96556°N 77.69806°E / 12.96556; 77.69806Coordinates: 12°57′56″N 77°41′53″E / 12.96556°N 77.69806°E / 12.96556; 77.69806
Kailasavadivoo Sivan (ex-officio)[1]
Primary spaceports
Employees17,099 as of 2021[2]
Annual budgetIncrease ₹13,949 crore (US$2.0 billion) (2021–22) [3]
Websitewww.isro.gov.in

Along with a number of communication and earth observation satellites in future, ISRO aims to send humans into space and later establish a space station to facilitate a few weeks long stay of astronauts. Agency aims to develop and operationalise more powerful and less pollutive rocket engines to eventually develop much heavier rockets, develop electric and nuclear propulsion for satellites and spacecrafts for reduced weight and longer lives, landing a rover on the moon, sending missions to Sun, Venus, Mars, asteroids, comets and outer solar system, deploying more telescopes in space and developing satellite navigation systems with global coverage.[4] Long term plans may include manned landings on moon and other planets as well.[5]

Launch vehicles and engines[edit]

Semi-cryogenic engine[edit]

Main article: SCE-200

SCE-200 is a rocket grade kerosene (dubbed "ISROsene") and LOX based semi-cryogenic rocket engine inspired from RD-120. The engine will be less pollutive and far more powerful. When mated with GSLV Mark III, the engine will boost its payload capacity and will be used in clusters in future to power India's heavy rockets.[6]

Methalox engine[edit]

Methane and LOX based engines are being developed to ensure the reusability of engines. Methane is less pollutive, leaves no residue and hence engine needs no refurbishment.[6] LPSC has already undertaken cold flow tests of engine prototypes in 2020.

Modular heavy rockets[edit]

See also: Unified Launch Vehicle

A number of concepts of heavy and super-heavy lift launch vehicles are currently being studied by the agency. Launchers are being designed to be modular to facilitate interchangeability of parts and reduce the time of production. There have been multiple mentions of a 10 tonnes capacity "HLV" and an "SHLV"capable of delivering 50-100 tonnes into orbit in various reports, statements and presentations from ISRO officials.[7][8]

ISRO has target to develop a launcher in the decade of 2020s which will be capable of carrying nearly 16 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit which would be nearly 4 times of existing GSLV Mark III.[6] ISRO has also been confirmed to be conducting preliminary research for the development of a Super heavy-lift launch vehicle which is planned to have a lifting capacity of over 50–60 tonnes into earth's orbit.[9]

Reusable launchers[edit]

Main article: RLV-TD
RLV-TD HEX01 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre First Launch Pad (SDSC SHAR) on 23 May 2016.

There have been two reusable launcher projects ongoing at ISRO. One is ADMIRE test vehicle, conceived as a VTVL system and another is RLV-TD programme, being run to develop a spacecraft similar to American space shuttle which will be launched vertically but land like a plane.[10]

For realising a two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) fully re-usable launch vehicle, a series of technology demonstration missions have been conceived. For this purpose, the winged Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) has been configured. The RLV-TD is acting as a flying testbed to evaluate various technologies such as hypersonic flight, autonomous landing, powered cruise flight, and hypersonic flight using air-breathing propulsion. First in the series of demonstration trials was the Hypersonic Flight Experiment (HEX). ISRO launched the prototype's test flight from the Sriharikota spaceport in February 2016. The prototype, called RLV-TD, weighs around 1.5 tonnes and flew up to a height of 70 km (43 mi).[11] The test flight, known as HEX, was completed on 23 May 2016. A scaled up version of could serve as fly-back booster stage for their winged TSTO concept.[12] The test is to be followed by a landing experiment (LEX) and return flight experiment (REX).[13]

Small Satellite Launch Vehicle
Main article: Small Satellite Launch Vehicle

Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is a compact small-lift launch vehicle primarily aimed at tapping small satellites market. This launcher can be quickly assembled with low power and hence facilitates far higher launch frequency. SSLV can place 500 kg (1,100 lb) in 500 km (310 mi) low earth orbit and 300 kg (660 lb) in Sun-synchronous orbit.[14]

Spacecraft propulsion and power[edit]

Electric thrusters
Main article: Electrically powered spacecraft propulsion

India has been working on replacing conventional chemical propulsion with hall effect and plasma thrusters which would help in cutting down spacecrafts' mass.[6] GSAT-4 was first Indian spacecraft to carry electric thrusters but failed to reach orbit.[15] GSAT-9 launched later in 2017 had partial electric propulsion. GSAT-20 is expected to be first fully electric satellite from India.[16][17]

Alpha source thermoelectric propulsion technology
Main article: Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator

Radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), also called alpha source thermoelectric technology by ISRO is a type of atomic battery which uses nuclear decay heat of radioactive material to power the spacecraft.[18] In January 2021, U R Rao Satellite Centre issued an Expression of Interest (EoI) for design and development of a 100 W RTG. RTGs ensure much longer spacecraft life and have less mass than solar panels on satellites. Development of RTGs will allow ISRO to undertake long endurance deep space missions to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.[19][20]

Extraterrestrial probes[edit]

Destination Craft name Launch vehicle Year
Moon Chandrayaan-3 GSLV Mk III 2022[21]
Sun Aditya-L1 PSLV-XL 2022
Venus Shukrayaan-1
GSLV Mk II 2025
Jupiter TBD TBD TBD
Mars Mars Orbiter Mission 2
(Mangalyaan 2)		 GSLV Mk III 2024
Lunar exploration
Main articles: Chandrayaan-3 and LUPEX

Chandryaan-3 is India's planned second attempt to soft land on the moon after failure of Chandrayaan-2 in doing so. The mission will only include a lander-rover set and will communicate with the orbiter of previous mission. The technology demonstrated in a successful moon landing will be used in joint Indo-Japanese Lunar Polar Exploration Mission for sampling and analysis of lunar soil.[22]

Mars exploration
Main article: Mars Orbiter Mission 2

The next Mars mission, Mars Orbiter Mission 2 or Mangalyaan 2 has been proposed for launch in 2024.[23] The newer spacecraft will be significantly heavier and better equipped than its predecessor.

Venus exploration
Main article: Shukrayaan-I

ISRO is assessing an orbiter mission to Venus called Shukrayaan-1, that could launch as early as 2023 to study its atmosphere.[24] Some budget has been allocated to perform preliminary studies as part of 2017–18 Indian budget under Space Sciences,[25][26][27] and solicitations for potential instruments were requested in 2017[28] and in 2018. Mission to Venus is scheduled for 2025 that will include a payload instrument called Venus Infrared Atmospheric Gases Linker (VIRAL) which is co-developed with Laboratoire atmosphères, milieux, observations spatiales (LATMOS) under French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Roscosmos.[29]

Solar probes
Main article: Aditya-L1

ISRO is scheduled to carry out a mission to study the Solar corona, due for launch in 2022.[30][31] The probe is named Aditya-L1 and will have a mass of about 400 kg (880 lb).[32] It is the first Indian space-based solar coronagraph to study the corona in visible and near-IR bands. Launch of the Aditya mission was planned during the heightened solar activity period in 2012, but was postponed to 2021 due to the extensive work involved in the fabrication, and other technical aspects. The main objective of the mission is to study coronal mass ejections (CMEs), their properties (the structure and evolution of their magnetic fields for example), and consequently constrain parameters that affect space weather.

Asteroids and outer solar system

Conceptual studies are underway to launch spacecrafts to asteroids and Jupiter as well in long term. The ideal launch window to send a spacecraft to Jupiter occurs every 33 months. If the mission to Jupiter is launched, a flyby of Venus would be required.[33] Development of RTEG might facilitate agency to further undertake deeper space missions like to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.[19]

Space telescopes and observatories[edit]

AstroSat-2
Main article: AstroSat-2

AstroSat-2 is the successor of Astrosat mission.[34]

XPoSat
Main article: X-ray Polarimeter Satellite

The X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) is a planned mission to study polarisation. It is planned to have a mission life of five years and is planned to be launched in 2021.[35] The spacecraft is planned to carry the Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays (POLIX) payload which will study the degree and angle of polarisation of bright astronomical X-ray sources in the energy range 5–30 keV.[36]

Exoworlds

Exoworlds is a joint proposal by ISRO, IIST and the University of Cambridge for a space telescope dedicated for atmospheric studies of exoplanets. The proposal is aiming for readiness by 2025.[37][38]


Forthcoming satellites[edit]

Satellite name Launch vehicle Year Purpose Notes
EOS-03/GISAT 1 GSLV Mk II - F10 12 AUg 2021[39] Earth observation Geospatial imagery to facilitate continuous observation of Indian sub-continent, quick monitoring of natural hazards and disaster.
EOS-6 /Oceansat-3 PSLV - C53 October 2021 Earth observation
NVS-01 GSLV Mk II - F14 November 2021 Navigation
GSAT-20 GSLV Mk III 2021 - 2022 Communications
GISAT 2 GSLV Mk II 2021 Earth observation Geospatial imagery to facilitate continuous observation of Indian sub-continent, quick monitoring of natural hazards and disaster.
IDRSS GSLV Mk II 2021 - 2022 Data relay and satellite tracking constellation Facilitates continuous real-time communication between Low Earth orbit bound spacecraft to the ground station as well as inter-satellite communication. Such a satellite in geostationary orbit can track a low altitude spacecraft up to almost half of its orbit.
NISAR GSLV Mk II 2022 Earth observation NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is a joint project between NASA and ISRO to co-develop and launch a dual frequency synthetic aperture radar satellite to be used for remote sensing. It is notable for being the first dual band radar imaging satellite.
DISHA PSLV 2024–25[40] Aeronomy Disturbed and quite-type Ionosphere System at High Altitude (DISHA) satellite constellation with two satellites in 450 km (280 mi) LEO.[23]
AHySIS-2 PSLV 2024 Earth observation Follow-up to HySIS hyperspectral Earth imaging satellite.[41]

Notes and references[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ↑ "Chairman ISRO, Secretary DOS". Department of Space, Government of India. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  2. ↑ "Annual Report 2020-21, Department of Space" (PDF). 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  3. ↑ "Union Budget 2021: Dept of Space allocated Rs 13,949 cr in budget, Rs 4,449 cr more than last fiscal". The Financial Express. 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  4. ↑ After Mars, Venus on Isro's planetary travel list. Archived 27 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine U. Tejonmayam, Times of India. 18 May 2019.
  5. ↑ Dutt, Anonna (2020-09-18). "Gaganyaan mission: Astronauts to undergo Isro module next year". New Delhi. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 MP, Sidhharth (2021-03-14). "ISRO: Chandrayaan-3 launch by mid-2022, Mangalyaan-2 in definition stage". WION. Chennai. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  7. ↑ "ISRO developing heavy lift launch vehicles". The Hindi. Thiruvanantpuram. 2015-05-30. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  8. ↑ Somanath, S. (2020-08-03). Indian Innovations in Space Technology: Achievements and Aspirations (Speech). VSSC. Archived from the original on 2020-09-13. Retrieved 2021-03-21 – via imgur.
  9. ↑ "Have tech to configure launch vehicle that can carry 50-tonne payload: Isro chairman – Times of India". The Times of India. 14 February 2018. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  10. ↑ "ISRO Is Working on Two Competing Reusable Launcher Designs". Science Wire. 2019-01-02. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  11. ↑ Rajwi, Tiki (20 May 2015). "Futuristic Unmanned Space Shuttle Getting Final Touches". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  12. ↑ "Design process has been validated". Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  13. ↑ "ISRO Plans To Test ground Landing Of 'Desi' Space Shuttle By Year end". Kalinga TV. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  14. ↑ "India's 19 upcoming missions, and ISRO's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV)". SpaceTech Asia. 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  15. ↑ Subramanian, T. S. (17 April 2010). "Why didn't the cryogenic engine ignite?". The Hindu. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  16. ↑ Rajwi, Tiki (30 November 2015). "ISRO to Test Electric Propulsion on Satellites". The New Indian Express.
  17. ↑ D. S., Madhumathi (1 May 2017). "GSAT-9 heralds cost-saving electric propulsion". The Hindu.
  18. ↑ NPE chapter 3 Radioisotope Power Generation Archived 18 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Laxman, Srinivas. "ISRO plans new propulsion for deep space missions". The Times of India. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  20. ↑ Bansal, Nitansha. "ISRO plans for nuclear energy use in space". Observer Research Foundation. Retrieved 2021-05-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ↑ "Chandrayaan-3 launch delayed further to 2022, says ISRO chief K Sivan". 2021-02-21.
  22. ↑ "ISRO Will Embark on Chandrayaan 3 by November 2020 for Another Landing Attempt". The WIRE. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Jatiya, Satyanarayan (18 July 2019). "Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2955" (PDF). Retrieved 30 August 2019.[dead link] Alt URL
  24. ↑ "ISRO gears up for Venus mission, invites proposals from scientists". The Indian Express. New Delhi. 25 April 2017. Archived from the original on 18 June 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  25. ↑ Srinivas Laxman, TNN 17 February 2012, 05.03 am IST (17 February 2012). "India planning Venus mission". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  26. ↑ "After Mars, Isro aims for Venus probe in 2–3 years". The Asian Age. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  27. ↑ "Department of Space" (PDF). Ministry of Finance, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  28. ↑ "Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for Space Based Experiments to Study Venus". ISRO.gov.in. 19 April 2017. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  29. ↑ "ISRO to launch its Venus mission in 2025, France to take part". Livemint. PTI. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  30. ↑ "India's first solar mission in 2020: Isro chairman | Madurai News – Times of India". The Times of India. 4 May 2019. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  31. ↑ "After Mars, India aims for Sun now". Mail Today. Mail Today. Mail Today. 13 February 2018. p. 12. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  32. ↑ "After the Moon, ISRO eyes the sun". 9 June 2011. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  33. ↑ "After Mars, ISRO looks to conquer Venus & Jupiter". Bangalore Mirror. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  34. ↑ Surendra Singh (19 February 2018). "ISRO plans to launch India's 2nd space observatory". Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  35. ↑ Future Exploration Missions of ISRO. Archived 21 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Dr. M. Annadurai, director, ISAC, ISRO. UNCOPUOS 60th Session, Vienna. 2019.
  36. ↑ "Chandrayaan 2 launched: Here are future ISRO missions to space". The Indian Express. 22 July 2019. Archived from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  37. ↑ "Exoworlds to take off in 2025: Kasturirangan". Deccan Herald. 2019-12-05. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  38. ↑ "Seventh convocation address IIST" (PDF). 5 July 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  39. ↑ "ISRO plans to launch geo imaging satellite on August 12". The Hindu. PTI. 2021-07-10. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-07-10.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  40. ↑ 23 Oct, TNN | Updated; 2018; Ist, 4:58. "Space Applications Centre: 'Aeronomy satellite in advanced planning stage' | Ahmedabad News – Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  41. ↑ Kumar, Suresh (2019-03-11). "Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Salt-affected Soils : Potential & Future Prospects". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

Notes[edit]

External links[edit]

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