Article Posted on : - Oct 22, 2008

ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair after the Chandrayaan launch. PTI photo

SRIHARIKOTA (PTI): After the successful launch of India's first unmanned mission to moon, Chandrayaan-1, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to send its second lunar odyssey, Chandrayaan-2, an Indo-Russian joint venture, likely by the end of next year or early 2010.

The work on this project would be taken up after Chandrayaan-1 starts its task of researching the moon, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair told reporters here after the PSLV-C11 launched the spacecraft.

"One of the two GSLV missions next year could carry Chandrayaan-2," he said.

The team behind the success of the first mission would work on Chandrayaan-2 also, he added.

However, the composition of the instruments for Chandrayaan-2 would be decided after studying the data received from the first mission, he said.

The second mission, for which the ISRO and Russian federal space agency have already signed a pact, would feature a lander and a rover for a soft land on moon.

"However, there would be a provision for accommodating payloads from other space agencies as is the case of Chandrayaan 1," Nair said.

In addition to India's five payloads, Chandrayaan-1 is carrying scientific instruments of the European Space Agency, Bulgaria and the USA.