Dr Jitendra taking initiative for ISRO project in Jammu
*Govt releases Rs 2000 cr for Mission
Gopal Sharma
Ahmedabad, Feb 27: India is going to launch space missions Chandrayan-4 and 5 in 2028 and the Union Government has released funds of Rs 2000 crore for Mission-4.
While talking to a delegation of media persons from J&K and Punjab led by PIB, Director, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Ahmedabad, Dr Nilesh Desai disclosed that ISRO is going to launch Mission Chandrayan-4 on its own in 2028 and the Union Finance Ministry has released funds to the tune of Rs 2000 crore for it. The ISRO team has already started working on the mission, he added.
Dr Desai further disclosed that Mission Chandrayan-5 is also being launched in collaboration with Japan in 2028. In this joint mission, India will develop the Lander, while Japan will develop the Orbiter. The Lander developed by India will return to the Earth for the first time after collecting samples of soil and rocks from the Moon’s surface for further research by Indian and Japanese scientists.
Responding to a question, the Director of ISRO said that space missions of countries like the US and China are spending huge amounts on space research. “We have received a budget of just Rs 13,000 crore for space research, which is not sufficient,” he added.
Dr Desai further said that Union Minister in the PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh, is taking the initiative to involve ISRO in some projects in Jammu. We had talks on the subject with Dr Singh and soon we will launch some projects in Jammu as well, after Ladakh, he added.
He also outlined several upcoming interplanetary initiatives, including Mission Venus and the Mars Orbiter Mission-II (MOM-II), aimed at strengthening India’s deep space exploration programme.
Emphasising that the primary mandate of the Centre is the creation, design, development and application of diverse satellite payloads, he informed that the Space Applications Centre (SAC) is actively engaged in training and capacity-building programmes in collaboration with institutions such as the Satish Dhawan Centre for Space and the Central University of Jammu.
He also briefed the media about the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) at Hanle in Ladakh, situated at an altitude of 4,500 metres, which plays a key role in tracking space objects. He further highlighted the LAMA project, which focuses on monitoring natural resources and environmental changes in Ladakh using advanced satellite-based tools.
The visiting delegation toured several important facilities, including the Planetary Immersive Simulation Lab (PLASIV Lab) and the Semiconductor Laboratory, where they were given a detailed overview of ongoing research and technological advancements.
The media persons were informed about the sophisticated semiconductor technologies being developed in a highly controlled environment, particularly for satellite components and space-grade applications.
“The Semiconductor Lab has been established with the objective of making India self-reliant in semiconductor packaging technology. The Centre specialises in in-house Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic (LTCC) foundry technology for developing high-performance miniature components for space applications, including Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based devices and advanced quantum components,” the Director stated.
Dr Abha Chhabra, HoD (HRD), ISRO, also addressed the delegation and briefed the media on various ongoing projects being undertaken by ISRO and SAC.
Earlier, the delegation visited the ISRO Museum, where they were acquainted with different types of satellites developed across ISRO’s 23 centres in the country.
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