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.
Published 02 December 2010, 18:03 IST