Sun Mission and Climate Satellite: ISRO’s Launch Schedule After Chandrayaan-3 Moon Mission

ISRO has an ambitious schedule ahead, including a mission to study the Sun, launching a climate observation satellite, testing a vehicle for the Gaganyaan human space flight program, and deploying an Indo-US synthetic aperture radar. Additionally, the XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite), India’s first dedicated polarimetry mission to study the dynamics of bright astronomical X-ray sources under extreme conditions, is also set for launch, an ISRO official stated on Tuesday.

Aditya-L1, India’s first space-based observatory to study the Sun, is expected to launch in the first week of September. According to ISRO Chairman S. Somanath, the agency is also preparing to launch the climate observation satellite INSAT-3DS.

A test vehicle mission to validate the crew escape system for Gaganyaan, India’s inaugural human space flight mission, is anticipated soon. “Next, we will launch NISAR, the India-US built Synthetic Aperture Radar,” Somanath said during his Independence Day address at ISRO headquarters on August 15. “So, our hands are full.” He also mentioned that numerous satellites for security purposes are in the pipeline.

According to ISRO officials, NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observatory jointly developed by NASA and ISRO. NISAR will map the entire globe in 12 days, providing consistent spatial and temporal data to understand changes in Earth’s ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea level rise, groundwater, and natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and landslides. The observatory features L and S dual-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) using Sweep SAR technique for large swath high-resolution data. The SAR payloads, mounted on the Integrated Radar Instrument Structure (IRIS) and the spacecraft bus, form the complete observatory.

Before launching the manned Gaganyaan mission, ISRO plans to conduct two unmanned missions. “We are preparing for the first unmanned crew module mission by the beginning of next year,” an ISRO official stated. The Gaganyaan mission aims to demonstrate the capability of conducting a human space flight to LEO aboard an Indian launch vehicle. The orbital module consists of a crew module and a service module. The pressurized crew module will serve as living quarters for the astronauts. The orbital module will be placed in an approximately 400 km circular orbit around Earth for one to three days, after which the crew module will return to a designated location at sea.