Chandrayaan mission is a series of Indian lunar space probes. The first mission, Chandrayaan-1, was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in October 2008 and operated until August 2009. It included an orbiter and an impactor, and its main objective was to orbit the Moon at a height of 100 km from the lunar surface for chemical, mineralogical, and photo-geologic mapping of the Moon. The spacecraft carried 11 scientific instruments built in India, USA, UK, Germany, Sweden, and Bulgaria. The mission was concluded when the communication with the spacecraft was lost on August 29, 2009.
Chandrayaan-2, launched in 2019, was designed to be ISROs first lunar lander. It consisted of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover. The lander crashed in the Moons southern hemisphere in 2019, but the orbiter continues to study the Moon from above. Its main objectives are to map the Moons topography, investigate the surfaces mineralogy and elements, study the lunar exosphere, and look for signatures of water ice.
Chandrayaan-3, ISROs first lunar lander, is aimed at the lunar south pole, a region with water ice that could be a source of oxygen, fuel, and water for future moon missions or a more permanent moon colony. It is expected to remain functional for two weeks, running a series of experiments including a spectrometer analysis of the mineral composition of the lunar surface.
