At a time when most of the public sector organizations in India are underperforming, the Indian space research organization is not only proving itself consistently but is also creating unparalleled records, thereby bringing laurels to the nation.
Chandrayaan is a multiple mission program planned in three phases- Chandrayaan1, Chandrayaan2, and Chandrayaan3. Chandrayaan1 was planned as an orbiter and impactor, Chandrayaan2 contains a soft lander and rover while Chandrayaan3 is intended for in-situ sampling. The core objective of the mission is to map the location and abundance of lunar water.
The project began in 2007 with an agreement between Indian and Russian space agencies for cooperation.
The Chandrayaan1 mission was launched in October 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, and was active in operation till August 2009. The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor. Later when Russia withdrew its hand from the mission, India decided to develop the lunar mission independently. In 2019, the Chandrayaan2 mission was launched from Sriharikota space center by a Geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle Mark-III. It included a lunar orbital, lander- Vikram, and Rover- Pragyan, all developed domestically. Unlike Chandrayaan1, Chandrayaan2 had to attempt a soft landing but unfortunately, this would not happen and lander Vikram lost contact 2.1KM just above the moon’s surface.
This mission is a prerequisite for both India and the world. The moon offers a pristine environment to study. Understanding how it formed and evolved can help us better understand the solar system and even Earth itself.
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