ISRO sets the ball rolling for Mars Mission-2

[TejasMk3]

ISRO sets the ball rolling for Mars Mission-2
A second Indian Mars orbiting mission plan has just been set in motion.

Nearly three years after it launched a world record making MOM (Mars Orbiter Mission) the Indian Space Research Organisation has invited Indian planetary scientists from the academia and research bodies to suggest which aspects of Mars should now be studied, along with the instruments they can provide for MOM-2.

Although a second Martian venture has been in the air, the latest `Announcement of opportunity' or AO is the first formal whiff of it. The scientists have been asked to make their proposals by September 6.

Short window

An official privy to the developments said the exact date and details of MOM2 would depend on the proposals that would come in. He estimated that "We should ideally have the total picture of the mission by the end of this year or at least before the 2017 Budget." Payloads and experiments would be the focus of the second mission.

MOM is famous for being the first mission by any country to reach Mars in the very first attempt. Russia, the US and Europe have failed in their debuts.

Space agencies get the best opportunity to send a spacecraft to Mars once in 26 months based on the relative positions of Earth and Mars, which constantly move around Sun.

Considering that India and the US both sent their respective Mars missions days apart in November 2013, the next two opportunities were around January 2016 (considered not very conducive) and around March 2018.

Why a second Martian mission? Scientists believe that the atmosphere, land and minerals on Mars, which has similarities with Earth, may answer questions on how planets evolved, whether there is life elsewhere in the solar system and perhaps suggest the future of Earth itself.

Questions remain

U.R.Rao, cosmologist, former ISRO Chairman and chairman of ADCOS (Advisory Committee for Space Science) that shapes Indian planetary pursuits, said Mars needs a closer look than what MOM has done. "We still do not know many things about Mars. Methane study [that MOM carries] still is important, and also a study of the Martian dust and its ionosphere."

MOM, Dr. Rao said, was a "great engineering feat" that taught India how to reach the red planet and has sent down good pictures of Mars across millions of kilometres. The MOM-2 spacecraft should ideally have an orbit of 200 km x 2,000 km. It should take better experiments with sharper instruments along and use the bigger GSLV rocket to propel it. Last time, ISRO used the light-lift PSLV.


The official Announcement of Opportunity for the mission:

Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for future Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM-2)

 

[Śakra]

No lander/rover component?

 

[Gregor Clegane]

No lander/rover component?

That's for 2021 Mars Mission.

 

[Bussard Ramjet]

That's for 2021 Mars Mission.

You are telling me that we will land a rover on Mars in 2021?

 

[TejasMk3]

You are telling me that we will land a rover on Mars in 2021?

Maybe, why not, After Chadrayaan-2 where the rover will be tested, perhaps they will land one on mars....thats still a long way off though, and in the road map there are also other missions (Aditya, Venus,Asteroid ones and exo planets).

 

[Gregor Clegane]

You are telling me that you will land a rover on Mars in 2021?

Yes.
It will take place 3-4 years after MOM-2?

 

[Bussard Ramjet]

Maybe, why not, After Chadrayaan-2 where the rover will be tested, perhaps they will land one on mars....thats still a long way off though, and in the road map there are also other missions (Aditya, Venus,Asteroid ones and exo planets).

It take a lot of time to plan and begin programs like these. Especially when rovers are involved.

The concept proposal of Chandrayaan 2 came in 2007. It is scheduled to be launched in 2018 if all goes well. That is 11 years. The mission to Mars would be equally challenging. Let's say it takes 6 years from concept proposal to launch. That means even if the concept proposal was today, it won't be launched by 2022. (6 years is an optimistic target.)

And there is no concept proposal now. And I don't think there will be till MOM2. Once MOM2 is done, then we can have than proposal. I am pretty sure India is not going to undertake 2 Mars missions together.

 

[TejasMk3]

The concept proposal of Chandrayaan 2 came in 2007. It is scheduled to be launched in 2018 if all goes well. That is 11 years. The mission to Mars would be equally challenging. Let's say it takes 6 years from concept proposal to launch. That means even if the concept proposal was today, it won't be launched by 2022. (6 years is an optimistic target.)

Chandrayaan -2 was meant to be a joint Indo-Russian project, was delayed due to Russians blowing hot and cold and then backing out completely post the phobos grunt failure after agreeing to the mission initially, using that as a timeline is quite silly.

Besides if they are targetting a 2021 rover mission, work for it wouldve started already, and experience from the chandrayaan rover would make it much easier, do it's not entirely impossible, but yeah since there is no announcement or talk about a mars rover, ti's not really a valid discussion.

 

[Bussard Ramjet]

Chandrayaan -2 was meant to be a joint Indo-Russian project, was delayed due to Russians blowing hot and cold and then backing out completely post the phobos grunt failure after agreeing to the mission initially, using that as a timeline is quite silly.

Besides if they are targetting a 2021 rover mission, work for it wouldve started already, and experience from the chandrayaan rover would make it much easier, do it's not entirely impossible, but yeah since there is no announcement or talk about a mars rover, ti's not really a valid discussion.

I know, that is why I gave it 6 years. There is no way it could be done before 2022. There is a whole process involved man.

First the project is floated.

Then suggestions are invited.

A proposal is created.

Then the Government vets the proposal, and decides on the funding.

If the funding is granted, then the project begins.

(This alone takes at least 2 years.)

 

[Abba_Dabba_Jabba]

If there is no rover this time, its a definitely useless mission. ISRO should never waste money & resources for any "Me too" mission, the projects should be relevant to the requirements of the nation.