'Internal' discussions for developing a ‘novel design’ and ‘high-end technology’ are ongoing within ISRO over its plan to launch the Chandrayaan-4 moon mission.
ISRO chairman S Somanath told media on Saturday that the space agency plans to send Chandrayaan 4, 5, 6 and 7 missions in future, following the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission.
“We are working on what Chandrayaan-4 spacecraft should contain. The first question is what Chandrayaan-4 should be having (as the payload); this is the question we are asking,” Somanath said, according to the report.
The “first thing we decided is at least Chandrayaan-4 should have a sample of Moon’s soil which is to be brought back to Earth. We want to do this in a robotic way. So, this is the discussion going on internally,” he said.
“All of us are involved in this discussion on how to do this work with available rockets. You know going to the Moon, bringing back a sample is a very complex work. Not landing there. Again, another rocket has to take off from the Moon, come back to the Earth and land on Earth which is double the work of what we have done last time,” Somanath added.
“So, our rockets today are not fully capable. So, because of this we are trying a novel design, which I will not tell you now, it will be secret,” he said.
The secretary of the Department of Space said scientists were developing high-end technology for the Chandrayaan-4 mission.
Talking about INSAT-3D satellite launched in 2013, he said the agency would “decommission” it gradually as its functions were ‘deteriorating’.
“We will use it (INSAT-3D) satellite for a different purpose and we will inform you later,” he said without giving any further details.