Moon Missions of India that made us all proud!

The space research organization of India has attained some incredible achievements till now. Let's look at some of the moon missions of India that skyrocketed every Indian's pride. 

Indian Space Research Organization - ISRO has done some remarkable work in the field of space research. With the onset of Chandrayaan 3, India will become the only 4th country to achieve a soft landing if the satellite lands safely. Let’s have a look at the moon missions of India on the occasion of International Moon Day, as 20th July marks the anniversary of the first landing by humans on the Moon as part of the Apollo 11 lunar mission.

Chandrayaan 1

Chandrayaan-1 was India's first lunar probe. Simply put, it was India's first deep space mission and first trip to the Moon. It was launched by the ISRO from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota, on 22 October 2008 and was operated until August 2009. The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor. It was a major boost to India's space program, as India researched and developed its own technology in order to explore the Moon. The mission discovered small amounts of water and blue hydroxyl (made of molecules of Hydrogen & Oxygen) on the surface of the Moon.

Need to Know: The orbiter of the Chandrayaan 1 also released an impactor that deliberately crashed into the Moon, releasing debris that was analyzed by the orbiting spacecraft's science instruments.

Chandrayaan 2

Chandrayaan 2 was India’s second attempt to discover the moon, but it was much bigger and more complex than the previous one. It was launched from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh on 22nd July 2019. The mission was designed to expand the lunar scientific knowledge through a detailed study of topography, seismography, mineral identification and distribution, surface chemical composition, thermo-physical characteristics of top soil and composition of the tenuous lunar atmosphere, leading to a new understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon.

It comprised an Orbiter to observe the lunar surface and relay communication between Earth and the Lander- Vikram, and Pragyan Rover, a 6-wheeled, AI-powered vehicle to explore the unexplored South Pole of the Moon. This mission was going all well until ISRO lost contact with Vikram – the lander just 2.1 km away from the surface of the moon as it crashed due to some technical glitch.

Need to Know: Chandrayaan 2 was the first lunar spacecraft by any country to explore the south pole of the moon.

Also Read: Indian restaurant in the UK attempted to Send Samosa into Space! See what happened next!

Chandrayaan 3

To know the exact reason and to continue the discovery on the moon, ISRO sent the Chandrayaan 3 on 14 July 2023. It was launched by LVM3 from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota. The propulsion module carried the lander and rover. It is launched with the objectives of demonstrating a safe and soft Landing on the Lunar surface, exhibiting the rover roving on the moon, and conducting in-situ (original) scientific experiments.

Need to Know: If the mission is successful and the Vikram lander, which is planned to soft-land on the surface of the South Pole region of the Moon on August 23, then India will become the only 4^th country in the world to achieve a soft landing on the natural satellite of the earth.

Also Read: Do you know astronauts in the Gaganyaan mission will eat Biriyani, Khichdi, and Aam ka Achar while being in space?

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