The Indian space agency is readying for challenging launches in the current financial year, which could also see the Mars mission taking off anytime after October 21.

“The Mars Mission is on target,” said K. Radhakrishnan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organsiation (ISRO).

India will be the sixth country to launch a mission to Mars after the US, Russia, Europe, Japan and China.

The silver jubilee flight of ISRO’s workhorse launch vehicle Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C25) will carry the Mars orbiter. The launch is slated for October end as Mars will be closest to Earth in November.

The technological objective of the mission is to design a spacecraft capable of reaching Mars (Martian Transfer Trajectory) and orbiting the planet (Mars Orbit Insertion). This will take around nine months. Another technological challenge is to realise related deep space mission planning and communication management at a distance of nearly 400 million km.

The US space agency NASA will provide deep space navigation and tracking support services for this mission during the non-visible period of the Indian Deep Space Network.

“We plan to start stacking the launch vehicle from July 29. The Mars orbiter is getting ready at Bangalore and should be in Sriharikota by September. The orbiter will be launched by the PSLV XL launch vehicle after which its apogee (the farthest point from earth) will be increased from 20,000 km to two lakh km before it begins its voyage for Mars around November 28 or 29,” he told newspersons after witnessing the launch of PSLV C22 from Sriharikota, 90 km north of Chennai.

Radhakrishnan expressed his happiness at the launch of India’s first navigation satellite –Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System-1A (IRNSS-1A). “We are saying good morning to India through the mid-night launch,” he said in a 45-minute press meet at 12.30 a.m.

Packed schedule

The other launches for the year include INSAT 3D, an advanced meteorological satellite to be launched through the Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana on July 25, communication satellite GSAT-14 through ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle on August 6 from Sriharikota, and GSAT-7 from French Guiana between August 22 and 24.

Another PSLV rocket will carry a foreign commercial satellite SPOT-7 in December.

The GSLV Mark III experimental mission is likely to be launched in January. This will make ISRO self-reliant in launching heavier communication satellites of INSAT-4 class, which weigh 4,500-5,000 kg.

In March 2014, the launch of India’s second navigation satellite IRNSS-1D is planned. This will happen after monitoring the functioning of the IRNSS-1A launched on Monday night, he said.

Over all, this financial year a dozen missions will happen, he said.

Private sector

For future missions, Radhakrishan said ISRO was planning to seek a higher participation from private players in joint ventures. Nearly 400 companies are working with the space agency. raja.simhan@thehindu.co.in

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