ISRO Chairman V Narayanan, while delivering the convocation address at Osmania University on Tuesday, announced that the space agency is developing a massive rocket as high as a 40-storey building to place a 75-tonne payload into low Earth orbit. He said ISRO's plans for this year also include a new NAVIC satellite, the N1 rocket, and the launch of a 6,500 kg US communication satellite using Indian rockets.
Putting the rocket's capacity into historical perspective, Narayanan said, "The first launcher built by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had a 17-tonne lift-off mass, capable of placing 35 kg in low Earth orbit. Today, we are conceiving a rocket to place 75,000 kg in low Earth orbit. The rocket is the height of a 40-storey building".
55 Satellites in orbit
He also mentioned that ISRO plans to launch a Technology Demonstration Satellite (TDS) and the GSAT-7R, an Indian military communication satellite designed to replace the existing GSAT-7 (Rukmini) satellite for the Indian Navy. Narayanan noted that while India currently has 55 satellites in orbit, that number is projected to triple in the next three to four years.
During the convocation, Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma presented Narayanan with an honorary Doctorate of Science degree in recognition of his pivotal contributions to India’s space program.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently became the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS). Shukla's journey was part of the Axiom-4 mission, which took place from June 25 to July 15. The meeting took place at Modi's residence, where the Prime Minister warmly welcomed Shukla, who was dressed in an astronaut jacket from ISRO (the Indian Space Research Organisation).
During their time together, Shukla presented Modi with a special patch from the Axiom-4 mission and showed him stunning photos he had taken while on the ISS. The Axiom-4 mission also included three other astronauts—Peggy Whitson from the U.S., Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. The mission launched from Florida and arrived at the space station the following day.
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