ISRO has planned a gruelling nine missions in the next eight months, its Chairman K. Sivan said on Thursday.
While the Chandrayaan-2 landing and rover mission is slated for late 2018, an important project is the seco- nd confirmatory launch of GSLV-MkIII heavy-lift rocket. It will carry the three-tonne-plus GSAT-29 communication satellite to space.
If this succeeds, it will regularise the much-needed MkIII rocket to lift ISRO’s four-tonne communication satellites to orbit so that ISRO can stop hiring foreign launchers for this size of satellites in the near future.
The very heavy 5.7-tonne GSAT-11 high-throughput or broadband satellite is getting ready here for launch on a European rocket. A host of PSLV missions with Earth observation satellites are lined up.
A new technology used in the PSLV will enhance its lifting power, Dr. Sivan said.
