ISRO Chairman Says India Can Launch More Interplanetary Missions

India's capability to launch more interplanetary missions was highlighted by the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), S Somanath, on 26 August.

He also emphasised that the objective of the space agency is to contribute to the overall progress of the country by expanding the space sector.

At Thiruvananthapuram's international airport on Saturday night, Somanath assured reporters that ISRO is fully prepared to implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi's long-term vision for India's space sector.

Following the historic success of the Moon mission, Somanath visited the capital of Kerala for the first time.

Early in the morning on Saturday, PM Modi had made a direct flight from Greece to Bengaluru. His purpose was to pay tribute to the scientists of ISRO who have played a crucial role in the nation's space endeavours, in particular Chandrayaan-3.

Speaking to the press, Somanath said, "We are capable to travel more to Moon, Mars, or Venus... But we have to enhance our confidence for that... Besides that, there should be more investment as well."

The objective of ISRO is to expand the space sector and contribute to the overall progress of the country, he said.

India's next space mission is Aditya-L1, which is set to be the first Indian space-based observatory for studying the Sun.

The launch of Aditya-L1 is anticipated to take place in the first week of September, with the specific date set to be announced within the next two days.

"After the launch, it will take 125 days from the Earth to reach Lagrange point 1 (L1). We have to wait till then," Somanath said.

On Chandrayaan-3, the ISRO chief said that both the rover and the lander have captured images.

The ISRO team is eagerly awaiting more high-quality images in the coming days, he said. Currently, their focus is primarily on scientific studies on the Moon.