Maarg Manthan · Topic 12.7

Chandrayaan Missions (Chandrayaan-I, II, III) and the Mars Orbiter Mission

Science & Technology › Space Technology and ISRO · Topic 12.7

India's planetary exploration began with Chandrayaan-1, launched on 22 October 2008 on a PSLV, which orbited the Moon and, with a NASA instrument, found signs of water molecules on the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-2, launched on 22 July 2019, put an orbiter around the Moon, but its lander Vikram crashed on 6 to 7 September 2019 during the final descent. Chandrayaan-3, launched on 14 July 2023 on an LVM3, made a soft landing at about 69.4 degrees south near the Moon's south pole on 23 August 2023, making India the fourth country to land on the Moon and the first near the south pole. The Mars Orbiter Mission, launched on 5 November 2013, entered Mars orbit on 24 September 2014, making India the first country to succeed on its first attempt.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Science & Technology · Space Technology and ISRO

At a Glance

Chandrayaan-1 2008, lunar water signs
Chandrayaan-2 2019, lander lost
Chandrayaan-3 2023, south pole landing
Mars Orbiter Mission 2013, success on first try
National Space Day 23 August
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Science & Technology: Space Technology and ISRO

Where Does It Fit?

This topic follows the account of navigation systems. After satellites around Earth, the macro now covers India’s missions to the Moon and Mars, which test launch, navigation and landing skills. Previous topic: Navigation Satellite Systems: GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, NavIC (IRNSS), GAGAN. Next topic: Solar Mission Aditya-L1.

What Did the Moon and Mars Missions Achieve?

Mission	Key facts
Chandrayaan-1	Launched on 22 October 2008 by PSLV-C11 from Sriharikota. Orbiter plus a Moon Impact Probe that hit the Moon on 14 November 2008. Carried 11 instruments, including NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper that found hydroxyl and water signs. Contact lost in August 2009
Chandrayaan-2	Launched on 22 July 2019 by GSLV Mk III. Orbiter, lander Vikram and rover Pragyan. The orbiter continues to work. Vikram crashed near the south pole on 6 to 7 September 2019
Chandrayaan-3	Launched on 14 July 2023 by LVM3-M4. Lander Vikram touched down at 18:04 IST on 23 August 2023 near 69.4 degrees south. Rover Pragyan ran for about one lunar day of 14 Earth days
Landing spot name	The landing point was named Shiv Shakti Point on 26 August 2023
Instruments of Chandrayaan-3	Lander payloads such as ChaSTE for temperature and ILSA for seismic activity. Rover instruments such as an alpha particle X-ray spectrometer found sulphur and other elements
Mars Orbiter Mission	Also called Mangalyaan. Launched on 5 November 2013 by PSLV-C25. Orbit insertion on 24 September 2014. Cost about Rs 450 crore, among the cheapest Mars missions
Mars mission instruments	Five instruments including a Mars colour camera and a methane sensor

Why Are These Missions Significant and What Comes Next?

Fourth to land: after the United States, the Soviet Union and China, India became the fourth country to soft land on the Moon
First near the south pole: the south polar region has permanently shadowed craters that may hold water ice
First attempt at Mars: India was the first Asian country to reach Mars orbit and the first country in the world to do so on its first attempt
Low cost: Chandrayaan-3 cost about Rs 615 crore, and Mangalyaan cost less than many film budgets
National Space Day: India declared 23 August as National Space Day to mark the landing
Chandrayaan-4: a lunar sample return mission approved by the Government in 2024, planned for later in the decade
Chandrayaan-5: proposed joint mission with Japan, also called LUPEX, to study lunar polar water with a rover
Mars Orbiter Mission 2: a follow up mission to Mars with a lander has been proposed

What Else Should You Remember?

Why south pole: craters near the pole never see sunlight and are very cold, so ice may be preserved there
Soft landing: a controlled descent that slows the lander from about 6,000 km per hour to a safe speed using engines and sensors
Lessons from Chandrayaan-2: engineers changed the lander with larger landing area and more fuel, and tests made the system more robust
Propulsion Module: after separation the Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module came back to Earth orbit in 2023, an experiment to learn return techniques
Hop experiment: the lander rose and landed again on the Moon after its mission as a test for future sample return
Chandrayaan-1 water finding: NASA scientists later confirmed water signs using data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper, as in Global Map of Water on the Moon
Chandrayaan-2 orbiter: its cameras and instruments gave high resolution maps and detected sodium on the Moon
Mars findings: Mangalyaan studied the Martian atmosphere and surface, and gave images of Phobos and a full disc of Mars
Launch vehicles: PSLV was used for Chandrayaan-1 and the Mars orbiter, GSLV Mk III or LVM3 for Chandrayaan-2 and 3, as in Launch Vehicle Technology: PSLV, GSLV and Cryogenic Engines
Lunar south pole race: other countries and companies plan missions to the south pole, including NASA’s Artemis programme and China’s plans
Artemis Accords: India signed the Artemis Accords in 2023, a set of principles for civil space exploration
Gaganyaan link: skills from planetary missions feed the human spaceflight programme

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Dates and rockets: which vehicle launched which mission
Firsts: fourth country to land, first near south pole
Findings: lunar water signs and sulphur detection
Current affairs link: Chandrayaan-4 and National Space Day
Common errors: mixing up the landing dates of Chandrayaan-2 and 3, or saying India was first to land on the Moon

As an analytical point, the string of lunar and Mars missions shows that India can do complex space exploration at low cost. Sample return and joint missions will test the next level of capability.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Dates Facts asked
Firsts Records
Next Chandrayaan-4

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the solar mission Aditya-L1. Next topic: Solar Mission Aditya-L1.

Key People and Terms

Orbiter Spacecraft circling a body
Lander Spacecraft that touches down
Rover Moving vehicle
Soft landing Controlled touchdown
Mangalyaan Mars craft
Shiv Shakti Point Chandrayaan-3 landing site

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Chandrayaan-1: 22 October 2008.
Chandrayaan-3 landing: 23 August 2023.
Mars orbit insertion: 24 September 2014.
Chandrayaan-3 launched by LVM3.
National Space Day: 23 August.

Do Not Confuse With

Chandrayaan-2 and 3 Lander lost versus soft landing success
Orbit insertion and landing Entering orbit versus touching surface
Mangalyaan and Chandrayaan Mars versus Moon

Memory Hook

Oh-eight water signs, nineteen the lander fell, twenty-three the pole was reached; Mars on the first try in fourteen.

Mains Angle

Questions ask for dates, firsts and findings. These points help.

Achievements Firsts and low cost
Science Water and south pole
Next Sample return

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Evaluate the significance of the Chandrayaan and Mars Orbiter missions for India’s scientific and strategic standing.”

How to Answer

Missions Dates and results.
Significance Firsts and low cost.
Science Water, south pole.
Way Chandrayaan-4.

GS Relevance

Prelims: dates, launch vehicles, achievements, landing site, firsts. GS Paper 3: science and technology, space.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Chandrayaan-3 land on the Moon?

Chandrayaan-3 landed near the south pole of the Moon at about 18:04 Indian Standard Time on 23 August 2023, after launch on 14 July 2023 by an LVM3 rocket. India became the fourth country to soft land on the Moon and the first to do so near the lunar south pole. The date is observed as National Space Day.

What did Chandrayaan-1 find?

Chandrayaan-1, launched on 22 October 2008, carried 11 instruments, including NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper, which detected hydroxyl and water molecules on the lunar surface. Its Moon Impact Probe crashed on the Moon on 14 November 2008, and the orbiter worked until contact was lost in August 2009.

What happened to Chandrayaan-2?

Chandrayaan-2 was launched on 22 July 2019 and its orbiter reached lunar orbit and keeps working. However, the Vikram lander lost control during the final descent and crashed on 6 to 7 September 2019. The lessons from this failure were used to redesign the lander for the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Why is the Mars Orbiter Mission special?

The Mars Orbiter Mission, or Mangalyaan, was launched on 5 November 2013 by a PSLV and entered Mars orbit on 24 September 2014. India became the first country to reach Mars orbit on its first attempt and the first Asian country to do so, at a cost of about Rs 450 crore.

What is the Chandrayaan-4 mission?

Chandrayaan-4 is a planned Indian mission to bring back samples of lunar soil to Earth, approved by the Government of India in 2024. It will need several modules to land, collect samples, lift off and return, and would make India one of the few countries able to return samples from the Moon.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Chandrayaan-3 landed near the lunar south pole.

True

On 23 August 2023.

2 The lander of Chandrayaan-2 made a successful soft landing.

False

It crashed in 2019.

3 India reached Mars orbit on its first attempt.