Techfest at IIT-B: NASA set to put first woman, first person of colour on moon in 2025

Mumbai: “The plan to land the first woman and the first person of colour on the surface of the Moon somewhere near its south pole is scheduled for 2025. It will come 53 years after the last humans stepped on the lunar surface—the Apollo 17 astronauts in 1972,” said Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator for Space Operations, NASA, in a special talk arranged at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay. Lueders’ session was one among those at Techfest, the annual technology and science festival held at IIT-B.

American space agency NASA’s Artemis program is scheduled in a phased manner. In the first phase, the unmanned Moon mission Artemis-I successfully lifted off on November 16. “Artemis-II will be a 10-day mission with two orbits of the Earth before going 4,600 miles beyond the far side of the Moon,” said Lueders in her talk. After Artemis-II, the next phase of the Moon mission called Artemis-III is scheduled in 2025.

Finance graduate-turned-engineer Lueders said that special efforts were being made to increase the participation of astronauts of different races in NASA missions. “There is also an effort to bring in people from different social backgrounds,” she said. “Everyone is priority and there is no gender discrimination. Also, experts from different fields are working with NASA.”

Lueders added that the mission was for 30 days but the astronauts would stay on the Moon for two weeks. She also pointed out that NASA was focusing on a Mars mission as well, and preparations were under way to land humans on Mars. “We are facing several challenges in the Mars mission, such as the journey to the planet,” she said. “The expected duration of the journeys to and fro is nine months each, and astronauts are expected to live on the planet for six months.”

In a question-and-answer session about opportunities for Indian students at NASA, Lueders said, “The Indian Space Research Organisation needs young talent. So work for ISRO, do your research here, and start your own company in space research.”

In another session, Atul Rane, CEO and managing director of BrahMos Aerospace Limited, spoke about the BrahMos missile. “The missile’s range will be increased to ultra-long range,” he said. “Earlier, India was restricted to 300-km-range missiles in adherence with Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) parameters. But since we have now joined MTCR, we are taking steps to develop BrahMos with long-range strike capability.”

After the embargo was lifted, BrahMos with a range of 700 km has a speed that is equal to the speed of sound. Can a similar BrahMos missile be developed for the Navy or the Air Force? “Important research and engineering studies are on,” said Rane. “This study deals with the creation of a missile that can strike at great distances and, at the same time, is several times faster than the current ones. A few times more speed means it will be a hypersonic-range missile.”

In another session, V Narayan, Director, ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, said that the research work initiated through ISRO for the Indian-made Gaganyaan was in progress. Besides this, a new phase of Chandrayaan is being planned next year.