THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: V Narayanan, who is set to take over as Isro chairman on January 14, described his task ahead as challenging, with many things, including a series of experiments for future missions, lined up in the coming months. Narayanan will also take charge from incumbent S Somanath as secretary of dept of space and chairman of Space Commission.
Chandrayaan-4, a lunar sample return mission; Gaganyaan, a human space flight mission, and development and testing for a space station are some of the projects he will be focusing on.
“We have already charted our programmes for a year or two, and these include series of experiments for human missions… We will be conducting a docking experiment of the SpaDex satellite, which is crucial for Chandrayaan and space station missions. This month-end, we plan to launch the second series of navigation satellites using a GSLV,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
The space agency recently successfully tested a robotic arm, which is important for human missions and for assembling the space station. The space station will have five modules, with the first launch slated for 2028.
Expressing happiness over his posting, Narayanan said with the type of employees, technocrats, and management staff available at Isro, they would be in a position to contribute in multiple space programmes.
A prominent scientist and cryogenic expert, Narayanan, who heads Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, said it is great to be part of an organisation pioneered by leaders like Vikram Sarabhai. Narayanan, who joined Isro in 1984, hoped his experience in different capacities in the agency will help him lead it to greater heights.
