Nellore: India’s second mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-II, will be the highlight of the calendar of the Indian Space Research Organisation this year. The other major missions are the launch of the heavy communications satellite GSAT-20 and the first unmanned space mission towards the year end.
During the recent launch of the GSLV-F11 recently, Isro chairman Dr K. Sivan had appealed to space scientists to gear up to launch 32 missions in 2019. Isro had launched 17 missions in the year just gone by. In addition to this, a satellite for the Indian Data Relay Satellite System to maintain continuous communication with India’s remote sensing/earth observation satellite is also on the cards.
Isro has been working on a new technology to use the fourth stage of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle for space experiments and this is likely to be demonstrated through the launch of the PSLV-C44 in the first quarter of 2019.
Usually the last stage of the PSLV becomes part of space debris. Isro has been planning to give life to the last stage known as PS4 for six months after the launch.
Isro officials said it will be useful for students and institutions to carry out experiments without spending much. Isro will invite proposals from students and scientists to utilise the new technology.
Isro also developing an app for using Navic, India's own global positioning system, in mobile phones and it is likely to be ready before the end of 2019. The last satellite of the series was launched in 2018.
