Chandrayaan-2, India's second mission to the moon, was launched on July 22, 2019
The objectives of Chandrayaan-2 have been significantly attained, said Union Minister of State (Atomic Energy and Space) Jitendra Singh on Wednesday, adding that detailed study of topography, mineralogy, among others had led to a better understanding of the origin and evolution of the moon.
"Objectives of the mission have been significantly attained. Against an initially envisaged one-year life of orbiter, we expect it to be serving for seven years," Mr Singh said in the Lok Sabha in response to a question.
He further said, "The mission has accomplished the objective of expanding the lunar scientific knowledge through a detailed study of topography, mineralogy, surface chemical composition, thermo-physical characteristics and tenuous lunar atmosphere leading to a better understanding of the origin and evolution of the moon."
The minister added that the Chandrayaan-2 was a highly complex mission, aimed to develop and demonstrate the key technologies for end-to-end lunar mission capability, including soft-landing and roving on the lunar surface. It comprised of an orbiter, lander and a rover.
Chandrayaan-2, India's second mission to the moon, was launched on July 22, 2019 from Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota. The orbiter, which was injected into a lunar orbit on September 2, 2019, carries eight experiments to address many open questions on lunar science.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)