In order to tap into the scientific potential of students and enable indigenous manufacturing of passenger aircraft, a separate course that includes various specialisation of engineering must be established, said S. Mohana Kumar, Mission Director of Chandrayaan-3, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), while speaking at a lecture organised at Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) on Friday.
Delivering a lecture, which was organised as part of Amrit Vimarsh Vikasit Bharath 2047, he said the country was yet to explore local manufacturing of passenger aircraft, and such an effort would yield a cost-effective and safe mode of transportation for many. “Among the three major modes of transportation, passenger aircraft remain the safest,” he added.
Emphasising that Chandrayaan-3 was a team effort, Mr. Mohana Kumar said the equipment suppliers played a key in achieving the milestone by delivering the mission critical consignments in a timely manner.
“The commitment shown by them played a huge role in the mission’s success,” he said. Following the lecture, Mr. Mohana Kumar answered the student’s queries.
He said the lander and rover were equipped with solar-powered batteries that can only hold a charge for 14 days. As the weather on the moon changes once every 14 days, automatic charging of the batteries remained a challenge. “Currently, the ‘man on moon’ mission is not on our schedule. However, we are working on test vehicle flights to the moon,” Mr. Mohana Kumar said.
G. Viswanathan, Founder-Chancellor, VIT, was present. Students, faculty members, and research scholars from the institute also attended the lecture.
