ISRO's Chandrayaan mission- An odyssey to moon

 

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.