Centre has accorded approval for Chandrayaan-5 Mission: ISRO Chief
Chennai (PTI): The Centre has recently accorded approval for the ambitious Chandrayaan-5 mission to study the Moon, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said.
At an event to felicitate him for taking over as the Chairman of the Bengaluru-headquartered Indian Space Research Organisation, Narayanan said that unlike the Chandrayaan-3 mission which carried the 25-kg rover 'Prayagyaan', the Chandrayaan-5 mission would carry a 250 kg rover to study the Moon's surface.
The Chandrayaan mission consists of studying the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-1 successfully launched in 2008 took chemical, mineralogical and photo-geologic mapping of the Moon. The Chandrayaan-2 mission (2019) was 98 per cent success but just two per cent of the Mission could not be achieved in the final stages.
Still the onboard high resolution camera on Chandrayaan-2 is sending hundreds of images, Narayanan, also the Secretary of Department of Space, said on Sunday.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.
ISRO successfully launched the Chandrayaan-3 mission with the Lander Vikram successfully 'soft-landing' on the South pole of the Moon on August 23,2023.
"Just three days back we got the approval for Chandrayaan-5 Mission. We will be doing it in association with Japan," Narayanan said.
The Chandrayaan-4 Mission expected to be launched in 2027 aims to bring samples collected from the Moon.
On ISRO's future projects, Narayanan said apart from various missions including Gaganyaan, plans are afoot to establish India's own Space Station--Bharatiya Space Station.
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7 injured as Bengaluru-Kamakhya Express derails in Odisha
Cuttack (PTI): Seven people were injured as an express train derailed in Odisha's Cuttack district on Sunday, officials said. Eleven coaches of the SMVT Bengaluru-Kamakhya AC Express derailed at Nirgundi near Manguli at 11.54 am, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the East Coast Railway Ashok Kumar Mishra said.
Odisha Fire Service Director-General Sudhansu Sarangi said seven injured people have been rescued and taken to a nearby hospital. "The maximum number of injured persons should not be more than 10," he said. Personnel of the NDRF and Odisha Fire Service were assisting the railway in the rescue operation, he added.
The train was heading to Kamakhya station in Assam's Guwahati from Bengaluru. Mishra said a relief train has been sent to the spot.
"Arrangements are being made to help the affected passengers reach their destinations. Our priority is to restore the line at the earliest and accordingly, other trains will be diverted," he said.
Three trains were diverted because of the derailment. These trains are Dhauli Express, Neelachal Express and Purulia Express, officials said.
Helplines -- 8455885999 and 8991124238 -- have also been activated by the railways, they said.
