Article Posted on : - Nov 18, 2008

A file photo of Chandrayaan 1 at the ISRO centre. After the mission's success, the Indian space agency is all geared up for Chandrayaan 2.

COIMBATORE (PTI): Even as India's maiden lunar probe circles the Moon, the Centre has given its approval for Chandrayaan-2 which would be in orbit by 2012.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has started necessary research work for the next mission for which the Centre has sanctioned necessary funds, Chandrayaan-1 Project Director Mylswamy Annadurai told reporters here. "The second mission would be a fully indigenous one," he said.

Chandrayaan-1 is the best thing to happen to Indian space research and is designed to study water availability and fertile standards of the Moon, he said.

The Moon mission has proved that India is on par with any other nation which ventured to the Earth's satellite, he added.

The pictures being received from Moon were giving very valuable inputs, Annadurai said, adding, efforts are being made to get continuous pictures by making some technical corrections.

Earlier, the scientist was felicitated by the public at different places in Coimbatore district for the successful launch of the country's maiden Moon mission.

Accepting the felicitations, Annadurai exhorted the students to shelve their foreign dreams as opportunities were available within India. "The days of foreign students coming to India in pursuit of research works and higher studies were not far away,"
he said.