Chandrayaan is India's renowned lunar exploration program, managed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Launched in 2008, Chandrayaan-1 was the program's inaugural mission. It achieved a significant milestone by detecting water molecules on the Moon's surface, altering previous assumptions about its composition. Chandrayaan-2, launched in 2019, featured an orbiter, lander, and rover. While the orbiter continues to study the Moon's surface and composition, the lander's attempted soft landing faced challenges and communication loss during descent, leading to the rover's inability to fully operate. Despite the setback, the orbiter has been operational and continues to send valuable data back to Earth even after nearly four years since the Chandrayaan-2 mission. Chandrayaan-3 -- consisting of an indigenous lander module, a propulsion module and a rover -- is a follow-up mission to Chandrayaan-2. Its objective is to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments. The Chandrayaan program underscores India's growing capabilities in space technology and exploration. Having earned global recognition for its achievements and contributions to lunar research, future missions under the Chandrayaan program are anticipated to yield further insights into the Moon's mysteries and evolution.
Bengaluru: Students look at a model of Chandrayaan-3 mission during the celebration of India's first National Space Day, at Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium.
Bengaluru: Students look at a model of Chandrayaan-3 mission during the celebration of India's first National Space Day, at Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) releases an image of Chandrayaan-3 Vikram Lander clicked around 11 a.m. IST from about 15 m through a Pragyan rover's navigation camera, hours after the release of its first image, which shows the lander resting on the moon's surface. (File image)
