India’s next identified space project is the Chandrayaan-4 mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) where the plan is to mine the Moon. Unlike the earlier missions that the ISRO will be launching, the Chandrayaan-4 will soar on the highest rocket system ever used by the country, and for the first time, it will be built in space.
ISRO Chairman K Sivan stated that the size of the spacecraft is much larger, and it cannot be fitted into a single rocket that ISRO possesses at present; therefore, it needs multiple launches, wherein all the different modules would be assembled in space. ‘Our rockets are not powerful enough to take spacecraft as a whole,’ Somanath said.
To overcome this, ISRO is planning for a new docking technology by which the varied parts of the spacecraft would join together in both Earth and Moon orbit. This capability will be tested later this year with a mission called ‘Spadex, ’ the first ISRO mission to show in-space docking.
Technically, constructing modules in space is not new, but it is the first time it will be done on the moon, possibly opening up a new era in space exploration.
This concept is also necessary for the subsequent ISRO’s plans – forming the Indian Space Station known as BAS, which is also planned to be constructed from many launches and stages in space.
As ISRO strives to explore the outer worlds, these innovative strategies are slowly and steadily making India one of the most sought-after nations worldwide.
