Man mission to Mars in another 20-25 yrs, says Mylswamy Annadurai

Coimbatore: Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-2 is likely to be launched in the first week of September 2019. Indian scientists are also working towards their key expedition, man mission to Mars, which is likely to be launched in next 20-25 years, said former Chandrayaan-1 project director Mylswamy Annadurai.

Mylswamy Annadurai is the present project director of Chandrayaan-2, an Indian lunar mission to the moon.

"India is emerging in the field of science and technology, for instance, it has achieved greater success in our key space missions-Chandrayaan-1, Mangalyaan, and Chandrayaan-2. Young minds are working in the areas of Indian space and technology, and good opportunities are available for them in these fields," Annadurai told ANI on the sidelines of National Science Exhibition in Coimbatore on Saturday.

Central and state governments are putting in a lot of efforts to create more opportunities in the field of science and technology. At least 30 percent of women scientists are now part of India's major space projects.

"We are also conducting certain competitions at school levels. We have state level and national level openings for school students where they will get an opportunity to showcase their skills," he added.

Man mission to Mars is possible but it might take another 20-25 years to launch a satellite to Mars, as it will approximately take 9 months to get to the Mars, 9 months to get back to earth and 2 months on Mars which makes it a total of a two-year long space expedition. This mission will be launched at an international level; many other countries are also working in this direction, as told by Annadurai.