VIRUDHUNAGAR: To extend the lifespan of future space missions, refuelling and in-orbit satellite servicing works are being studied at the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), Chandrayaan-3 project director Dr P Veeramuthuvel said on Saturday.
Dr Veeramuthuvel participated in an interactive session with nearly 1,000 school students and 350 teachers during the 60th session of the Coffee with Collector programme. The event was organised by the district administration, at the Government Medical College in Virudhunagar.
Explaining how a mission’s life is largely dictated based on the availability of fuel, Dr Veeramuthuvel said that refuelling or re-servicing satellites before the end of their lifespan will extend the mission’s life at a lesser cost. He further stated that to prevent space debris, an adaptation of techniques where satellites that have completed their lifespan would be brought back to the Earth’s atmosphere and burnt is underway. The other option to avoid space debris, Dr Veeramuthuvel said, is to move satellites to a graveyard orbit just before their lifespan ends, in a geo-synchronised orbit.
Dr Veeramuthuvel also spoke about the unplanned hop experiment, performed directly on the moon without any ground testing, during the Chandrayaan-3’s mission, and called on students to take calculated risks to move ahead in life.
“Initially, when the Isro chairman approached us to experiment on a future sample return mission, as it would be significant for the next stage, we had no confidence about executing a landing as it was not a flat terrain and we were worried about the craft toppling. Eventually, within 24 hours, we experimented with it successfully,” he said.
Dr Veeramuthuvel also noted that Artificial Intelligence would serve a huge purpose in future missions, and stated that following the establishment of a launchpad, rockets will be launched from Kulasekarapattinam in the future.