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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Gold smuggling case: Bail plea of Kannada actress Ranya Rao adjourned till Mar 19
Bengaluru, Mar 17 (PTI): The bail petition of Kannada actress Ranya Rao, who was arrested in a gold smuggling case, has been adjourned until March 19.
The case was heard on Monday in the CCH 64th Court, which has directed the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) to file its objections before the next hearing. Further proceedings will continue after the submission of objections.
This follows the Special Court for Economic Offences rejecting Rao’s previous bail plea last week, citing the seriousness of the charges against her.
In a related development, the Karnataka High Court has extended its interim order preventing the DRI from arresting Rao's husband, Jatin Vijayakumar Hukkeri, in connection with the ongoing probe.
Meanwhile, the second accused in the case, hotelier Tarun Raju, has been remanded to judicial custody for 15 days as investigations continue.
Authorities allege that Raju played a crucial role in facilitating the smuggling operation by managing the logistics of gold transportation and distribution within India.
Ranya, the stepdaughter of senior Karnataka IPS officer DGP K Ramachandra Rao, is currently lodged in Parappana Agrahara jail.
She was arrested on March 3 at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru after authorities seized 14.2 kg of foreign-origin gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore from her possession.
Following her arrest, a raid at her residence led to the recovery of gold jewellery valued at Rs 2.06 crore and cash amounting to Rs 2.67 crore. Investigators suspect that she was part of a larger smuggling network.
Both Rao and Raju have been charged under the Customs Act and the Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act.
