ISRO to submit project report on manned mission in eight months

Bangalore, Jun 2 (UNI) The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will submit a proposal to the Union government for a manned space mission in about eight months.

An ISRO spokesperson told UNI here today that the project report for a manned mission was currently under preparation and would be submitted to the government in eight months. The mission would be realised eight to ten years after the government gave its approval, he said.

When referring to reports on a manned Lunar mission quoting ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair, the Spokesperson said that currently there was no proposal before ISRO for such a mission. First task would be to send an Indian astronaut to space.

Replying to another question he said the first Lunar mission 'Chandrayan-1' was very much on cards and the satellite was being currently built here. The launch would take place sometime in the first half of 2008, he said.

Chandrayan-1 would carry experimental payloads to conduct tests on Moon's surface. The payload would also include those provided by the NASA and European Space Agency besides Indian payloads to map Moon's surface for chemicals.

UNI