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India's Lunar Exploration Programme

India's Moon Missions
Chandrayaan to the South Pole

From discovering water on the Moon in 2008, to becoming the first nation to soft-land near the lunar south pole in 2023 — India's Chandrayaan programme has transformed global lunar science.

Lunar Missions
3 Flown
South Pole Landing
World's First
Water Discovered
Chandrayaan-1 (2008)
Rover Deployed
Pragyan (2023)
All Missions

Chandrayaan Programme — All Missions

🌕
Mission Complete
2008

Chandrayaan-1

India's first lunar mission — a historic milestone that confirmed the presence of water ice on the Moon.

Vehicle
PSLV-C11
Landing
Lunar Orbit
Duration
312 days
Key Achievements
Confirmed water molecules (H₂O) on the Moon's surface
Discovered Chandrayaan-1 impact crater at the lunar south pole
Mapped 95% of the lunar surface at 5m resolution
Detected magnesium, aluminium, silicon, calcium, iron, titanium — key minerals
Made India the 4th country to reach lunar orbit
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Orbiter Active
2019

Chandrayaan-2

India's second Moon mission — the orbiter continues to operate while the Vikram lander had a hard landing during descent.

Vehicle
GSLV Mk III-M1
Landing
100 km Lunar Orbit
Duration
Ongoing (orbiter)
Key Achievements
Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter remains fully operational (7+ years)
High-resolution imagery of the lunar south pole region
X-ray spectrometer CLASS detected sodium, chromium on Moon
Provided relay support for Chandrayaan-3
Generated lunar atlas data for future mission planning
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Historic Success
2023

Chandrayaan-3

India made history — Chandrayaan-3 became the first mission to soft-land near the lunar south pole. India is the 4th nation to land on the Moon.

Vehicle
LVM3-M4
Landing
South Pole — 69.37°S
Duration
14 days (surface)
Key Achievements
Soft-landed at 69.37°S — world's southernmost lunar landing
Pragyan rover traversed 103.6 metres on the lunar surface
Detected sulphur, oxygen, iron, silicon, aluminium, calcium on the south pole
First temperature profile of the lunar surface (up to 10 cm depth)
Detected seismic event on the Moon using ChaSTE instrument
India became the 4th nation to soft-land on the Moon
🧊
In Development
2026+

LUPEX

Lunar Polar Exploration Mission — a joint ISRO-JAXA mission to explore water ice deposits at the lunar south pole using a large rover.

Vehicle
JAXA H3 (planned)
Landing
South Pole Surface
Duration
6 months (rover)
Key Achievements
Joint India-Japan mission (ISRO + JAXA collaboration)
350 kg rover will drill up to 2 metres depth
Search for water ice in permanently shadowed craters
Critical data for future human lunar habitation planning
JAXA provides rover, ISRO provides scientific instruments
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Planned
2028+

Chandrayaan-4

India's most ambitious lunar mission — a sample return mission to bring 3 kg of Moon rocks back to Earth using two docked LVM3 spacecraft.

Vehicle
LVM3 (2 launches)
Landing
Lunar Sample Return
Duration
Multi-phase
Key Achievements
India's first lunar sample return mission
Two LVM3 rockets required — docking in lunar orbit
Will collect 3 kg of lunar samples from the surface
Makes India the 3rd country to return samples from the Moon
Demonstrates advanced rendezvous and docking capabilities
Common Questions

Moon Missions FAQ

QIs India's moon landing real?

Yes. India's Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully soft-landed the Vikram lander on August 23, 2023, at 69.37°S latitude on the Moon. The Pragyan rover deployed and operated for a full lunar day (14 Earth days), covering 103.6 metres. Multiple independent scientific organisations including NASA confirmed the successful landing.

QWhat is special about India's moon landing location?

Chandrayaan-3 landed closer to the lunar south pole than any previous mission — at 69.37°S. This region hosts permanently shadowed craters where water ice is trapped, making it critical for future human Moon bases. No other nation had successfully landed in this region before India.

QHow much did Chandrayaan-3 cost?

Chandrayaan-3 cost approximately ₹615 crore (~$75 million USD) — making it one of the most cost-effective lunar landing missions ever. For comparison, NASA's CLPS Commercial Lunar Payload Services missions cost 3–5 times more per mission.

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