V. Narayanan has just become the new head of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He shared the agency’s exciting plans for the future, which include launching Chandrayaan-4, India’s first crewed space mission called Gaganyaan, and building an Indian space station.
Narayanan mentioned that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) informed him about his new role. He spoke with S. Somanath, the previous chairman. “The Prime Minister is involved in everything. The PMO contacted me, and Somanath also called to share the news about my new position,” Narayanan said. He expressed his happiness about working with ISRO, which has had many great leaders over the years.
Recently, ISRO launched a mission called SpaDeX, and they plan to launch a navigation satellite called NVS-02 using a GSLV rocket soon. They are also preparing for the Gaganyaan uncrewed mission and another launch with a US commercial satellite using ISRO’s Mark III rocket.
Chandrayaan-4 is the next mission to explore the moon, aiming to land on its south pole. Narayanan explained that the goal is to collect samples from the moon and bring them back to Earth. “We have already started working on the Chandrayaan-4 mission,” he stated.
In addition, India is working on building its own space station. The first of five parts will be launched in 2028. Narayanan reported, “The Prime Minister has approved the construction of our space station, and we plan to launch the first part in 2028.”
Reflecting on his appointment, Narayanan said he feels lucky to be part of ISRO at such a successful time. As he noted, “ISRO is currently going through a successful phase.”
He was appointed Secretary of the Department of Space on Tuesday, taking over from S. Somanath, who will finish his term next week.
Leave a Reply