New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) is planning to launch India’s mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-2, by 2016, which would include an orbiter, lander and rover, an Isro spokesperson said on Friday.

Earlier, Isro chairman K. Radhakrishnan had said that the space agency will launch Chandrayaan-2 by 2016-17, according to Press Trust of India.

“Isro aims to demonstrate its capability to soft-land on the lunar surface with this mission,” said the Isro spokesperson.

The broad objectives of the mission would include the extension of scientific experiments carried out by Chandrayaan-1, India’s first mission to the moon which included a lunar orbiter and impacter.

Scientists had last year announced that using data from instruments aboard India’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, they had found evidence of water locked in mineral grains on the surface of the moon.

“Chandrayaan-2 would be launched by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) powered by an indigenously developed cryogenic engine,” said the Isro spokesperson.

Quelle: WSJ