Indian Scientists Studying Technologies For Manned Moon Mission

MOONDAILY

Bangalore (SPX) Sep 19, 2005
Even as India's unmanned mission to moon Chandrayaan -I, slated for 2007-8 is on track, space scientists are looking at technologies needed for a manned mission to the Moon, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said Friday, reports PTI.

Nair, however, added that the country does not have plans now for a manned mission to the moon.

"Not now. The technology requirements for such a (manned) mission, though, are being studied," he said.

Asked if ISRO would launch a manned mission for the sake of national pride, Nair replied: "We have to debate this. Probably at a later stage we will take a decision on that." Nair, also Secretary in the Department of Space and Chairman of the Space Commission, said the unmanned mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-I, slated for 2007-08, was on track.

"We have finalised all the design features, and all the detectors that have to go on that." "Construction has started," he said.

ISRO is in the process of acquiring land for setting up a deep space tracking network. The space agency has also begun the design of a huge antenna system (34 metres) with Hyderabad- based Electronics Corporation of India. Fabrication would start now, he said.

European payloads - from the UK, Germany and Switzerland - for the unmanned mission had already been identified, the ISRO Chairman added.

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