Introduction

The past twenty years have seen a significant increase in interest among researchers in the presence of organic molecules in various members of our solar system. Several highly successful missions, including Cassini-Huygens, Dawn, Rosetta, NewHorizons, and Stardust probe, among others, are primarily responsible for this. A number of laboratory experiments were inspired by the findings from these missions, and significant new findings are already emerging. New discoveries of organic molecule are being reported from all throughout the solar system, including Jupiter, the dwarf planets Pluto and Ceres, the moons Titan, Triton, Europa, and Enceladus, as well as comets, asteroids, and others. Recent accomplishments of the Hayabusa-2 and Osiris-REX missions have led to astonishing findings about our solar system. Therefore, this is a really exciting period in human history to plan and carry out a combined laboratory and space mission that  is precisely focused on the formation and evolution of organic molecules in our solar system under varied conditions.

Planetary science research in India has advanced significantly in recent years thanks to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). With the help of missions like the Mars Orbiter Mission, Chandrayaan-1, and Chandrayaan-2, we have been able to learn more about our heavenly neighbours. Another example is AstroSAT, which was launched as a collaborative project between ISRO and numerous academic research organisations. To date, the mission has attracted a sizable number of astronomy users. If a mission based on the same concepts as AstroSAT is launched in search of molecular life in space, it has the potential to make groundbreaking findings and significant advances in our understanding of the beginning of life. It goes without saying that such a mission plan will develop through careful consideration on many levels and the involvement of researchers from various fields. The upcoming NCAMP meeting offers an excellent starting point for such interactions.

About AMP community in India, ISAMP and NCAMP

There is a substantial population of atomic and molecular physics (AMP) researchers in India. This group is one of the strongest scientific communities in the nation because of two key characteristics. It is dispersed over various national research and educational institutions across the nation. Second, it is extremely diverse, ranging from strongly application-oriented research to fundamental research. Strong instrumentation capabilities used in several research laboratories for various spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques complement these strength areas. Numerous research organisations across the nation have recently concentrated their studies on organic compounds in space. In the area of laboratory astro-molecular physics, the country has made significant progress in expanding its capabilities.

Indian Society of Atomic and Molecular Physics (ISAMP) is an organization founded in the year 1975 and is the single largest society of Indian researchers working in the field of atomic and molecular physics. Since the formation, the society has been holding two periodic meetings in alternate years, namely the National Conference on Atomic and Molecular Physics (NCAMP) and a Topical Conference (TC). Among these, the NCAMP is the largest gathering of the AMP community and so far ISAMP has conducted 22 editions of the same conference. The 23rd edition of NACMP will be conducted at IIST in collaboration with Indian Institute for Science Education and Research (IISER), Thiruvananthapuram, Space Physics Laboratory (SPL), Thiruvananthapuram and Space Program Office (SPO), Bengaluru.

About the brainstorming session on "Origin of molecular life in space: New frontiers"

The possibility to bring the AMP community and the space science community together for conversations on topics of shared interest is provided by NCAMP's hosting at IIST. To make the most of this opportunity, it is proposed that one NCAMP session be set aside only for discussion of potential space mission ideas with the study of organic matter as the main interest. Specialists in planetary science and space science from the Indian space research community, notable members of the Indian AMP community, and a few foreign experts from related past and contemporary space missions will be invited to participate in the discussions. The debate will be carefully designed and structured to enable the participants to recognise and list the most important and realistic missions as well as  complementary laboratory experiments. Based on the country's current capabilities and the most significant goals that the AMP and space scientific communities may jointly pursue, a comparison will be made. There will be discussion and consideration of a number of these options. A brief proceeding will be created so that the group of interested scholars can use it as the basis for their future planning.