The Chandrayaan
missions are India's lunar exploration missions conducted by the Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The word "Chandrayaan" means
"Mooncraft" in Sanskrit. These missions are significant for
both India’s space program and global lunar science.
It significantly contributed towards technological growth and scientific
discovery. Water on the Moon, surface mapping, mineral data, lunar exosphere
insights were important scientific discoveries of this mission. Advanced
navigation, soft landing technique, rover mobility, communication systems were
cutting edge technologies developed by ISRO for this mission. It also gained a Strategic Edge by enhancing
India's global standing in space research and diplomacy. It paved way for future Gaganyaan mission (India’s
crewed mission), interplanetary missions like Shukrayaan (Venus), and potential
lunar bases. Here is a breakdown of the missions and their importance:
🚀 1. Chandrayaan-1 (2008)
Mission Type: Orbiter
Key Achievements:
- India’s first mission to the Moon.
- Discovered water molecules on the
Moon’s surface, a groundbreaking finding that changed our
understanding of the lunar environment.
- Mapped the Moon’s surface
composition using advanced instruments.
- Successfully deployed the Moon
Impact Probe (MIP), which crash-landed on the Moon near the south pole
— the Indian flag made it to the Moon!
Significance:
- Marked India as a major player in
space exploration.
- The discovery of water led to a new
wave of lunar science and interest in Moon missions from other
space agencies.
🚀 2. Chandrayaan-2 (2019)
Mission Type: Orbiter + Lander
(Vikram) + Rover (Pragyan)
Key Achievements:
- Successfully placed an orbiter around
the Moon, which continues to operate and send data.
- Attempted a soft landing near the
south pole, but the lander crash-landed due to
last-minute velocity issues.
- The orbiter has been very successful,
providing high-resolution images, detecting water ice,
and studying lunar exosphere and minerals.
Significance:
- Though the lander failed, the orbiter's
ongoing mission was a major success.
- Demonstrated ISRO's increasing technological
capability in planetary missions.
🚀 3. Chandrayaan-3 (2023)
Mission Type: Lander (Vikram)
+ Rover (Pragyan), no orbiter
Key Achievements:
- Achieved a successful soft landing on
the Moon’s south pole region — India became the first country to
do so.
- Deployed the Pragyan rover, which
conducted in-situ analysis of lunar soil and rocks.
- Conducted scientific experiments,
including temperature profiling and mineral detection.
Significance:
- Proved ISRO’s capability to land
safely on the Moon.
- Strengthened India’s status as a leading
spacefaring nation.
- Opened possibilities for future
Moon missions, including resource utilization and human exploration.
