ISRO’s 2nd Mars rendezvous in 2018
The next mission to Mars would be an improvised version of Mangalyaan
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-10-30 05:50 GMT
Bengaluru: Having secured their place in the sun by positioning Mangalyaan in a precise orbit around Mars last month, Indian space scientists are mulling a second rendezvous with the Red Planet in 2018.
The next mission to Mars would be an improvised version of Mangalyaan with space scientists keen to incorporate the technological expertise gained from the design and manufacture of a lander and rover for Chandrayaan-II, Dr. S.K. Shiva Kumar, director, Isro’s Satellite Centre (ISAC), Bengaluru, said on Wednesday.
“The idea is to improve the content of the orbiter so that we will be able to do more meaningful experiments, but 2016 (when Mars would again move closer to earth) is too early. So, 2018 will be the earliest possible (launch window) as we will have three years to work and stabilise technologies,” he pointed out.