India Announces Instrument Suite for Chandrayaan-2 Moon Orbiter, Lander and Rover

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) today announced the suite of instruments for its second mission to the moon after it’s first orbiter Chandrayaan-1 was successful in its mission. The second mission is scheduled to be launched on India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota in 2013.

India will build the orbiter and rover and Russia will build the lander.

The current recommended payloads of Chandrayaan-2 orbiter are:

– A Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer (CLASS) from the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) in Bangalore and Solar X-ray monitor (XSM) from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in, Ahmedabad for mapping major elements present on the lunar surface.

– An L and S band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) from Space Applications Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad for probing the first few tens of metres of the lunar surface for the presence of different constituents, including water ice. SAR is expected to provide further evidence confirming the presence of water ice below the shadowed regions of the moon.

– An Imaging IR Spectrometer (IIRS) from SAC in Ahmedabad for mapping of lunar surface over a wide wavelength range for the study of minerals, water molecules and hydroxyl present.

– A Neutral Mass Spectrometer (ChACE-2) from Space Physics Laboratory (SPL) in Thiruvananthapuram to carry out a detailed study of the lunar exosphere.

– A Terrain Mapping Camera-2 (TMC-2) from SAC in Ahmedabad for preparing a three-dimensaional map essential for studying the lunar mineralogy and geology.

The Chandrayaan-2 rover will include two payloads:

– A Laser induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) from Laboratory for Electro Optic Systems ( LEOS) in Bangalore.

– An Alpha Particle Induced X-ray Spectroscope (APIXS) from PRL in Ahmedabad.

It is possible other instruments might be selected but that will be determined after a future detailed review of the mission.