The Hindu : National : ISRO proposes limited collaboration for lunar exploration

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 17, 2004

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National

ISRO proposes limited collaboration for lunar exploration

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, NOV. 16. The Indian Space Research Organisation proposes collaboration on a limited scale with other countries in the exploration of the moon.

The ISRO chairman, G. Madhavan Nair, told presspersons here on Tuesday that India had offered to carry 10 kg of scientific equipment of other countries to be placed on orbit around the moon. About 30 proposals were received from the United States, Canada and European countries and six short-listed. These include altimeters using lasers and x-ray probes using different energy bands. The total payload of the mission, planned for 2007-08, will be around 500 kg.

Terrain mapping

Dr. Nair said the scientific objectives of the mission included terrain and chemical mapping for minerals and matter. A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle will take the spacecraft to an elliptical transfer orbit and then to the final orbit around the moon. This will be at a height of 100 km from the lunar surface.

The design of the spacecraft has already been completed. Metal cutting for antenna is underway. Land has been acquired in Bangalore for setting up a deep space tracking network.

ISRO proposes to launch a satellite for tropical climate studies in collaboration with France, Dr. Nair said. The launch has been planned for 2008-09. Work has started for technology demonstration of reusable launch vehicles. Development of air breathing engines, which will draw and store oxygen from the atmosphere for burning fuel as they climb, is being attempted separately.

Earlier, presiding over the inauguration of the Administrative and Auxiliary Services Block at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre here, Dr. Nair said that a village resource centre proposed for Wayanad would start functioning from December. The centre would offer integrated services covering adult education, telemedicine and other services using the satellite, EDUSAT.

ISRO, he said, has achieved global standards for application development for agriculture, fisheries and forestry. The objective is to take the benefits of development to the villages. In Kerala, satellite technology is being used to conduct virtual classrooms in the higher education sector, while support is being provided for health care, education and training in Tamil Nadu.

The Kerala Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, who inaugurated the block, said the State wanted to take better advantage of space technology. A task force had been set up for using the services of EDUSAT for primary and secondary education, he said seeking ISRO's cooperation for new programmes.

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