Quick Summary
India has made significant progress in its space program over the past few decades, but has not yet successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon. India’s space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has sent missions to orbit and study the moon, but has not attempted a lunar landing. The closest India has come is the Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019, which aimed to land a rover on the lunar south pole but suffered a last-minute failure, crashing the Vikram lander into the moon’s surface. Despite this setback, India remains committed to attempting a first successful soft lunar landing in the coming years.
Background on India’s Space Program
India’s space program dates back to the 1960s, but has accelerated in scale and ambition since the early 2000s. This reflects India’s goal of using its space capabilities for national development objectives in areas like telecommunications, weather forecasting, and disaster management. India has focused especially on building its own launch vehicles and satellites to reduce reliance on other countries.
Some key milestones include:
- First sounding rocket launched in 1963
- First satellite, Aryabhata, launched in 1975
- First geosynchronous satellite, INSAT-1B, launched in 1983
- First operational polar satellite launch vehicle, PSLV-C1, launched in 1994
- First lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1, launched in 2008
- First Mars probe, Mars Orbiter Mission, launched in 2013
- First space observatory, AstroSat, launched in 2015
India’s most powerful and reliable launch vehicle today is the PSLV, which has had over 50 consecutive successful flights. The next generation GSLV Mark III rocket is intended to launch heavier payloads for manned missions. On the spacecraft side, India has extensive communication, earth observation, and meteorological satellite constellations in orbit. The Indian space program was historically focused on serving civilian uses, but recently established its first dedicated military space agency.
Details of Chandrayaan Missions
Chandrayaan-1 was India’s first lunar probe, orbiting the moon from 2008-2009. It consisted of a lunar orbiter and an impactor which was intentionally crashed into the moon’s south pole to study lunar dust. The mission confirmed evidence of water ice on the moon.
The more ambitious Chandrayaan-2 mission launched in 2019 aimed to soft land a rover near the lunar south pole, in addition to orbiting the moon. It would have been the first ever landing on the moon’s far side. The mission proceeded well initially, achieving lunar orbit and separating the lander and orbiter successfully. However, during the powered descent phase, a software glitch caused the lander to lose control and crash into the surface, destroying the rover inside.
Despite this failure just minutes away from landing, Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter remains functional in lunar orbit today, conducting remote sensing and mapping of the moon. The crash landing highlighted how challenging soft touchdown on another planetary body is, requiring numerous systems to work properly in sequence.
Chandrayaan-2 Mission Details
| Spacecraft | Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, Vikram Lander, Pragyan Rover |
| Launcher | GSLV Mark III |
| Launch Date | July 22, 2019 |
| Launch Site | Sriharikota, India |
| Landing Site | Planned for lunar south pole (failed) |
| Mission Duration | 1 year (orbiter) |
India’s Future Moon Landing Plans
Despite the disappointment of Chandrayaan-2’s failed landing, India remains committed to attempting its first successful moon landing and rover deployment. This is viewed as an important technological milestone for India’s space program and global prestige.
ISRO is planning future Chandrayaan missions, likely launching in the 2024-2025 timeframe. These are expected to try landing in the lunar south pole region again, as it offers interesting scientific opportunities like water ice and permanent shadow. India may also aim to set new firsts such as landing on the lunar far side.
India is progressing on key technologies like precision landing sensors, hazard avoidance systems, autonomous navigation, and improved reliability of rocket and spacecraft systems. These aim to avoid the pitfalls faced during Chandrayaan-2. ISRO is also working on lunar sample return and manned mission capabilities for the more distant future.
Comparison to Other Countries’ Moon Landings
The only countries that have successfully soft landed on the Moon to date are the United States, the Soviet Union, and China.
USA Moon Landings
NASA’s Apollo program achieved the first manned moon landings between 1969-1972. The Apollo lunar modules carried two astronauts and landed on the Moon 6 times. Apollo 11 was the pioneering first landing in 1969. In total 12 astronauts have walked on the Moon via Apollo program. NASA also landed robotic Surveyor probes on the Moon in the 1960s to demonstrate soft landing techniques.
Soviet Moon Landings
The Soviet Union’s Luna program achieved the first unmanned moon landings, starting with Luna 9 in 1966. Over a series of missions, Soviet lunar landers and rovers successfully soft landed on the Moon and transmitted imagery and data from the surface. The last Soviet mission was Luna 24 in 1976 which returned lunar samples back to Earth.
China Moon Landings
China became the third country to successfully soft land on the Moon with its Chang’e 3 mission in 2013. This lunar lander deployed the Yutu rover on the surface. In 2019, China landed its Chang’e 4 mission on the far side of the Moon, another first. Both the lander and rover remain operational today. Prior Chinese lunar orbiters provided reconnaissance for selecting safe landing zones.
Key Differences From India’s Attempts
India’s Chandrayaan-2 in 2019 came close to being the fourth country to successfully soft land on the Moon. Some key differences from the programs of the USA, Russia, and China:
- USA and Russia landed people on the Moon, which India has not yet achieved. India has so far only attempted robotic probes.
- India is attempting to land near the lunar south pole, where no other missions have touched down. This is challenging terrain.
- India is attempting landing on early tries, whereas other nations did sampling return or impactors before soft landing.
- USA and Russia had heavier and more powerful launchers, the Saturn V and Proton-K.
- China has benefitted from decades of advancement in technology since Apollo.
Despite these differences, India’s space program has rapidly progressed to achieve lunar orbit and transient landing capability in just a few decades. With more incremental missions planned in the 2020s, India hopes to successfully demonstrate soft touchdown and rover operations soon.
Conclusion
In summary, India has not yet successfully soft landed a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This remains an aspirational next step for ISRO. The closest attempt was the Chandrayaan-2 lunar landing mission in 2019, which came painfully close before control was lost and it crashed. However, India remains committed to keep trying and joining the select group of nations who have landed on the Moon. Key technologies for safer and more precise landing are under development. Planned future Chandrayaan missions in the mid-2020s will again attempt to touch down on the lunar south pole. Mastering soft landing will validate India’s launch vehicles, robotic probes, navigation capabilities, and pave the way for more ambitious deep space exploration.
