Speaking at a conference organised by National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) on Thursday, Nair said that the helium isotope would be key to meeting earth’s energy requirements. Chandrayaan-1 was instrumental in establishing the presence of abundant Helium-3 deposits on the moon.
Discovered by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper on Chandrayaan-1, the isotope is found in the mineral Titanite. Via nuclear fusion, one tonne of Helium-3 can meet India’s energy requirements for an entire year, he said. As part of its efforts to secure this fuel, Chandrayaan-2 will study the presence of Titanite and Helium-3.
Nair also announced that India and France were collaborating on two kinds of spacecraft: Saral and Megha Tropiques. The former will help ISRO in studying oceans using altimetry, while the latter will study the water cycle and energy budget in the tropics.
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