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Indian Space Research Organization chief in India's lunar exploration plans

Posted on: Tuesday, 23 March 2004, 06:00 CST

Text of report by Indian news agency PTI

Coimbatore, 23 March: India's Moon Mission, the Chandrayan, would be a major stepping stone in the efforts of the country's space agency towards launching a probe into a 100km polar orbit around the moon in about five years from now, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, Prof G Madhavan Nair, has said.

Besides the Chandrayan lunar exploration, the Indian Space and Research Organization had also planned in the coming years, dedicated spacecrafts for meeting scientific objectives such as Astrosat for observation of celestial bodies from space, Meghatropiques for climate studies especially in the tropical belt.

Nair was delivering an endowment lecture on "Emerging trends in space technology and its applications: a managerial perspective", at a private college near here yesterday.

In the area of launch vehicles, the priorities would be towards consolidation of PSLV and GSLV, development of GSLV-Mkill as an elegant cost effective vehicle with a 4000kg capability in Geo- Synchronous Transfer Orbit, Nair said.

Stating that long term research and development was pursued on more advanced concepts of launch vehicle for performance enhancement as well as further reducing cost, Nair said that in tune with this, studies had been taken up on various concepts such as large cryogenic boosters and semi-gryogenic boosters.

Studies had also been initiated in the rocket based combined cycle engine development, including air-breathing propulsion, Nair said.

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