The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which successfully launched Mars Mission Mangalyaan – the inter-planetary mission that cost the space agency lesser money than it did to make the Hollywood space movie ‘Gravity’ – is now looking to achieve a similar feat with the Chandrayaan-2 mission. The space agency is planning to launch Chandrayan-2 Mission around April this year, MoS PMO Dr Jitendra Singh said.
Apart from the fact that it is the country’s second mission to the moon, what makes this mission so important and unique? Much to your surprise, Chandrayaan-2 will cost India only Rs 800 crore! Yes, you read it right, just Rs 800 crore. This amount is way less than it took to make space movie ‘Interstellar’. The 2014 blockbuster cost around Rs 1065 crore ( $165 million), while Chandrayan-2 is Rs 265 crore cheaper than this Christopher Nolan film!
However, Chandraayan-2 is a challenging mission as for the first time we will carry an orbiter, a lander and a rover to the moon. Jitendra Singh said that with this mission, the country will be able to put itself at a higher trajectory in terms of space technology.
ISRO meanwhile has achieved many milestones in the recent years. In February 2017, the space agency launched 104 satellites in a single mission, while last year itself it launched the South Asia Satellite, also known as GSAT-9, helping boost ties with neighbouring countries. Appreciating ISRO’s effort for making its mark in the space technology, ISRO Chairman, Dr. Sivan K, highlighted the success the agency has sen in 48 missions, including 21 Launch Vehicle missions, 24 Satellite missions and 3 Technology Demonstrators.