Chandrayaan 2 may be an all India mission

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Aug 14 2013 | 8:57 PM IST
Chandrayaan 2, the second mission to moon, could be an Indian programme all the way without any Russian support.
This was indicated by Minister of State in PMO V Narayansamy in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
Chandrayaan 2 was originally envisaged to be a joint mission between ISRO and the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos.
While ISRO was to provide for the launch of GSLV, the orbiter and the rover as per the agreement, the Russian agency was to provide the lander and the mission was scheduled for the current year.
But, following the failure of the Russian-led interplanetary mission, the Russian agency reviewed their inter-planetary missions.
It consequently suggested ISRO two windows of opportunities for launching of its Chandrayaan 2 rover - either 2015 or 2017 aboard Soyuz, the Russian spacecraft with a rider that the 2015 opportunity could involve mass limitation for the rover and entitle a higher risk.
In the wake of these inputs, the ISRO conducted a high level review of the Chandrayaan 2 programme under the chairmanship of U R Rao.
The study recommended that the India could itself realise a lander module in a few years and that it could go in for the mission on its own.
Narayansamy said the "details of changes in the configuration and the mission profile are under finalisation.
He also said the payloads on the lander will be finalised in due course taking into account the weight, volume and power constraints of the lander.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Aug 14 2013 | 8:57 PM IST

Next Story