Mission to study solar system soon: Madhavan Nair

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 24: Asserting that Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has no plans for a solar mission, its Chairman G Madhavan Nair on Sunday, Nov 23 said it would launch a satellite to study the solar system.

Delivering a memorial lecture on ''India's recent space achievements'' in connection with the 113th birth anniversary of Regent Maharani Sethu Lakshmibai of Travancore royal family, he said the solar mission titled 'Aditya' would be intended to study solar emissions. Dr Nair said the mission was expected to be launched within two years to put the satellite in between the Sun and Earth, so that it could study both the planets. The proposal had been sent to the Union Government and its approval was awaited. He said the ISRO was planning to launch Chandrayaan-2 in 2012, a mission in which a robot would be sent to collect samples from the lunar surface and conduct tests.

After completing the Chandrayaan series, the ISRO would be going in for a mission to Mars and steps for it had alreay begun. A blueprint of the mission was expected to be out only after four or five years.

On the allegations that the country was spending huge amounts on space experiments, the ISRO chief defended it stating that only three per cent of the total budget was spent on them.

Stating that the Chandryaan-1 was a great success, he said the country achieved a world record by planting the national flag on moon surface as scheduled.

Claiming that no country achieved such accuracy in landing, he said ''the world is looking at us with jealousy because of our success landing.''

UNI