The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K. Radhakrishnan has said that the exploration of Mars will take a tangible shape by the year 2030. He called it the “next logical frontier in space” after Chandrayaan II, which will be put in place by 2013 with robots and rovers to study the surface of the moon.
Speaking after receiving the prestigious ‘Dr. Y. Nayudamma memorial gold medal’ at the 2nd AP Science Congress, conducted jointly by the Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences and Sri Venkateswara University here on Saturday, Dr. Radhakrishnan spoke of ISRO's latest initiative on interplanetary exploration and the study on ensuring human presence in solar system. A habitat would be developed on the Moon to function as an ‘intermediary point’ to study more and more on the planets beyond. Admitting that it was a challenging and daunting task, he observed that the whole world would be looking eagerly at the ambitious project.
ISRO was now keen on taking a giant step in meeting specific objectives by developing and launching mini and nano-satellites, weighing a mere 1 to 6 kg, he added.
