Water on moon prompts ISRO to rethink on Chandrayaan-II experiments

Discovery of water on moon by Chandrayaan-I has prompted ISRO scientists to rethink on the experiments to be carried by its sequel mission scheduled for launch by 2013. ISRO plans to land two rovers on the lunar surface as part of Chandrayaan-II.

Discovery of water on moon by Chandrayaan-I has prompted ISRO scientists to rethink on the experiments to be carried by its sequel mission scheduled for launch by 2013.

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ISRO plans to land two rovers on the lunar surface as part of Chandrayaan-II besides conducting several in-orbit experiments.

“Following findings of Chandrayaan I, it would have to now look at midcourse correction of its objectives. We have to finetune it. There is some loud thinking on the issue going on,” ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair told reporters in Bangalore.

Nair indicated that scientists were exploring possibilities of equipping the lunar rover with some instruments that could dig the moon surface and carry out in-situ experiments.

While almost all experiments on Chandrayaan-II will be by Indian scientists, the lunar rover which will land on the moon will be sourced from Russia, Nair said.

ISRO is also looking at ways to send a smaller indigenous version of the rover to the lunar surface.

“Right now Chandrayaan-II is full,” Nair said adding that scientists were looking at how they could accommodate some additional payloads.