“We chose the second option. We reduced the number of engines from 16 to eight, and reduced pressure tanks and batteries from two to one.”
The reduced number of batteries, says Mr Annadurai, meant that the launch had to take place before the end of 2008.
“This would give the spacecraft two years to orbit the Moon without encountering a long solar eclipse that would affect its ability to recharge. So we had to follow a strict work schedule to meet the launch deadline.”
Mangalyaan cost so little, Mr. Annadurai says, “because we used most of the equipment we had already developed for Chandrayaan-2 after the second moon mission was shelved.”
Mr Bagla says India’s space program at such a low cost is an “amazing feat”. But as India grows in scale, the cost may rise.
At the moment, he said, India is using small rocket launchers because they don’t have anything more powerful. But this means that Indian spacecraft take much longer to reach their destination.
So when Chandrayaan-3 was launched, it circled the Earth several times before being launched into lunar orbit, where it circled the Moon several times before landing. On the other hand, Russia’s Mesyat-25 quickly escaped Earth’s gravity on a powerful Soyuz rocket.
“We used Mother Earth’s gravity to propel us to the Moon. It took us weeks and a lot of inventive planning. Isro has mastered it and done it successfully so many times.”
But, Bagla says, India has announced plans to send a manned mission to the moon by 2040. and to get the astronauts there faster, a more powerful rocket would be needed.
The government recently said, external work on this new rocket has already been approved and it will be ready by 2032. This new generation launch vehicle (NGLV) will be able to carry more weight, but will also cost more.
Also, Mr. Bagla says India is in the process of opening up the space sector to private players, and it is unlikely that costs will remain as low once that happens.
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