New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a new moon mission "Chandrayaan-4" to develop and demonstrate technologies needed for landing of Indian astronauts on the moon and safely bring them back to Earth. Chandrayaan-4 mission will achieve the foundational technologies for the landing of Indian astronauts on the moon (planned by year 2040) and return safely back to Earth, a statement said.
"Major technologies that are required for docking/undocking, landing, safe return to earth and also accomplish lunar sample collection and analysis would be demonstrated," it said. The total fund requirement for the technology demonstration mission "Chandrayaan-4" is Rs 2,104.06 crore, the statement said.
ISRO will be responsible for the development of spacecraft and launch. The mission is expected to be completed within 36 months of approval with the participation of industry and academia. All the critical technologies are envisaged to be indigenously developed.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet also approved the development of a partially-reusable Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) with three times the payload capability of ISRO's workhorse Launch Vehicle Mark III. It allocated Rs 8,240 crore for the development of NGLV, three developmental flights, essential facility, programme management and launch campaign.
It will be a significant step towards India's aim of establishing and operating the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and developing capability for Indian crewed landing on the moon by 2040, an official statement said. NGLV will have three times the payload capability at 1.5 times the cost compared to LVM3, it said, adding that the partially-reusable launch vehicle will provide low-cost access to space.
NGLV will be demonstrated with three development flights. The government has set a target of 96 months (8 years) for the completion of the development phase.
The Cabinet ALSO approved the development of Venus Orbiter Mission for exploring and studying the planet. The 'Venus Orbiter Mission' to be helmed by the Department of Space will involve placing a scientific spacecraft in the orbit of Venus for better understanding of its surface and subsurface, atmospheric processes and influence of the Sun on the Venusian atmosphere.
Venus, the closest planet to Earth and believed to have formed in conditions similar to Earth, offers a unique opportunity to understand how planetary environments can evolve very differently, a statement said. The study of the underlying causes of the transformation of Venus, which is believed to be once habitable and quite similar to Earth, would be an invaluable aid in understanding the evolution of the sister planets, both Venus and Earth, it said. The Cabinet has allocated Rs 1,236 crore for the mission, of which Rs 824 crore will be spent on the development of the spacecraft by the Indian Space Research Organisation.
