Chandrayaan-2 will probe deeply into the availability of water in the Moon's sub-surface said Mylswamy Annadurai, Project Director, Chandrayan one and two, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) here on Friday.
Delivering the Knowledge Leadership Fourm Lecture on Science and the technical aspects of Chandrayaan-1 at SASTRA University, Dr. Annadurai said Chandrayaan-1 had established the availability of water particles on the surface of the Moon. Chandrayaan-2 will take forward the exploration deep into the body of the Moon.
Chandrayaan-2, scheduled to be launched in 2013 will have more components than Chandrayaan-1. Unlike Chandrayaan-1, which circled the Moon and sent data for analysis on earth, Chandrayaan-2 will have a component that will land on the Moon and send two rovers down to collect and analyse data on the Moon itself. It will penetrate vertically to look for water inside.
Dr. Annadurai said the cost of the Chandrayaan-2 project was Rs. 426 crore. This is more than Chandrayaan-1 which cost Rs. 381 crore as it has more components than Chandrayaan-1. Even the cost of Chandrayaan-1 was less compared to missions taken up by other countries. “Chandrayaan was the most economical launch compared to other countries,” Dr. Annadurai said.
He said Chandrayaan-1 has accomplished its mission. "Technically total mission has been accomplished within the schedule and budget. It was cent per cent success. The baby has done its job," Dr. Annadurai said.
Chandrayaan-1 has established international co-operation. There were eleven instruments and sixteen sensors in Chandrayaan-1 and each instrument has sent enough data.
"Chandrayaan-1 has performed well and has exceeded the expectations," he added. It has provided a logical extension to Chandrayaan-2.
S. Swaminathan, Dean, SASTRA, participated in the meeting.
