Chandrayaan-2: Another trip to the Moon

India's second lunar exploration mission

By Google Arts & Culture

Illustrations by Roshan Gawand

Chandrayaan 2, India's second lunar exploration mission by Roshan Gawand

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched its second ambitious lunar mission on July 22, 2019 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota. Chandrayaan-2, worth less than $150 million, aspired to be the first to make a soft landing near the Moon's less-explored south pole. 

Chandrayaan 2, India's second lunar exploration mission by Roshan Gawand

While a software glitch prevented it from landing as planned, the mission continues to orbit and observe the Moon from above, serving as a milestone in the country’s progress in lunar exploration.

SRIHARIKOTA, India .NASA

The first Moon mission

Chandrayaan-2 was preceded by Chandrayaan-1, launched on October 22, 2008 by a PSLV rocket. Encouraged by K. Kasturirangan, the mission was launched with ISRO’s Srinivasa Hegde as mission director, for a cost of less than $100 million. 

It is best known for having definitively confirmed the presence of water on the Moon. 

It is best known for having definitively confirmed the presence of water on the Moon. The mission achieved this using a small impact probe designed by ISRO, which strategically struck a crater to release lunar debris for analysis and the ‘M3’, or Moon Mineralogical Mapper, by NASA. It encouraged Moon explorations by several countries, and boosted India’s own ambitions in planetary science.

Chandrayaan 2, India's second lunar exploration mission by Roshan Gawand

The second mission and its vehicle

Chandrayaan-2 stands out for having been developed and launched independently by India. K. Sivan, ISRO chief at the time, called it,  “the most complex space mission ever to be undertaken by the agency.”

The spacecraft consisted of a combination of a lunar orbiter, a lander named Vikram, and a rover called Pragyan. Its purpose was to focus on researching the lunar surface, searching for water and minerals, and studying moonquakes, among other things. 

The mission involved more sophisticated instruments, intending to build on Chandrayaan-1’s findings.

Chandrayaan 2, India's second lunar exploration mission by Roshan Gawand

Launch and landing

Chandrayaan-2 reached the Moon’s orbit in less than a month, by August 20, and began to position itself for the lander to touch down. 

Chandrayaan 2, India's second lunar exploration mission by Roshan Gawand

The lander was named Vikram after Vikram Sarabhai, the founder of India's space program. 

Chandrayaan 2, India's second lunar exploration mission by Roshan Gawand

Due to a software malfunction, however, it lost contact and crashed during its lunar landing in September 2019. 

Chandrayaan 2, India's second lunar exploration mission by Roshan Gawand

It would have touched down near the Moon's south pole, at a latitude of about 70 degrees south. The six-wheeled robotic Pragyan rover was not deployed.

Chandrayaan 2, India's second lunar exploration mission by Roshan Gawand

Chandrayaan-3

India plans a third exploration to demonstrate the soft landing that it had hoped for in the second mission. 

Meanwhile, Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter continues to capture valuable information using high spatial resolution cameras, spectrometers, and solar X-ray monitors.

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
Explore more
Related theme
India Ki Udaan
A celebration of the unwavering and undying spirit of India, and its 75 years of Independence
View theme
Google apps