Chandrayaan-2

Chandrayaan-2 (“mooncraft”) is an orbiting space probe studying the topography of the Moon and the water ice located in its southern polar region. The space probe also aims to create 3D maps of the lunar surface, better understand what minerals are present on the Moon, and investigate the Moon’s very minimal atmosphere. Chandrayaan-2 originally also included a lunar lander, Vikram, and a rover, Pragyan. After being deployed from the orbiter, Vikram and Pragyan unintentionally crashed into the Moon’s surface due to a software glitch. The orbiting space probe boasts the highest resolution camera of any lunar space probe to date, able to see objects as small as a third of a meter in size. Chandrayaan-2 hopes its investigations of the Moon will help create a more detailed understanding of its evolution over time.