India’s glory-Chandryaan-1 and 2

The Chandrayaan was derived from ancient Sanskrit word meaning moon vehicle.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) set up the National Lunar Mission
Task Force which concluded that ISRO has the technical expertise to carry out an
Indian mission to the Moon. In April 2003 over 100 eminent Indian scientists in the
fields of planetary and space sciences, Earth sciences, physics, chemistry,
astronomy, astrophysics and engineering and communication sciences discussed
and approved the Task Force recommendation to launch an Indian probe to the
Moon. Six months later, in November, the Indian government gave the nod for the
mission. The mission was a major boost to India's space program.

The main objective of the mission is simultane-ous chemical, mineral and

topographic mapping with the specific goal of understanding the early
evolution of the Moon.

Chandrayaan-1, India's first mission to Moon, was launched successfully on October

22, 2008 from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota. The spacecraft was placed into a mission-
specific lunar polar orbit of 100 km above the lunar surface on 12 November 2008.
There after, it was orbiting around the Moon at a height of 100 km from the lunar
surface for chemical, mineralogical and photo-geologic mapping of the Moon. The
spacecraft carried 11 scientific instruments built in India, USA, UK, Germany, Sweden
and Bulgaria.

The satalite made 3600 orbits around the moon until 29 August 2009, after which
controller completely lost its communication from the space craft and ISRO
decleared the mission to be concluded. Even though the mission terminated a year
before its planned ends, it is an incredible success and has been successful in
achieving its nearly all of its target.

Following Scientific knowledge enhanced after this unmanned indian moon mission:

1. It recorded Evidence of ice water on the moon.

2. Sent images of lunar rille, basically caves. Tunnels near the lunar
equator discovered which are non volcanic and are considered to be
potential human settlement sites.
3. Data of micro wave sensor from chandryaan-1 has revealed a history
of tectonic activity on moon surface.

Chandrayaan-2 is the successor and advanced version of chandryaan-1 with

following purpose:

1. Primaty purpose to show the ability of soft-landing on moon surface and

operate a rovar robot on it .
2. Eplore the un cha
The Chandrayaan-2 mission, if successful, will make India only the fourth
country after the United States, Russia and China to perform a "soft" landing
on the Moon and put a rover on the lunar surface.