Chandrayaan-2 launched 2019

Chandrayaan-2, launched July 22, 2019, is the second mission to the moon, developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The spacecraft launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre and reached lunar orbit on August 20, 2019.  

The Vikram lunar lander with the Pragyan rover attempted to land on the lunar surface September 6, but the lander crashed due to a software error.  The lunar orbiter continues to operate from orbit around the moon.

Chandrayaan-3 was launched in 2023 and successfully made a lunar landing.

Rohini-1, first Indian satellite, launched 1980

India officially entered the space age following the successful launch of Rohini-1 (Rohini Satellite 1 or RS-1), July 18, 1980. It was manufactured by the Indian Space Research Organization. India became the seventh country with its own ability to launch satellites. It was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Center.  It carried instruments such as a sun sensor, magnetometer, and temperature sensors.

It was planned to have a lifespan of 100 days, but it remained in orbit for 20 months.

Chandrayaan-2 crashes on the moon 2019

Chandrayaan-2, Indian Space Research Oganisation (ISRO)'s second lunar mission, crashed onto the surface of the moon September 6, 2019.  It doesn't seem that the exact cause of the crash has been determined but ISRO has reported it was a software glitch.  

The Vikram lander and Pragyan rover were lost in the crash.  The orbiter continues to operate and is expected to complete its seven-year mission.

Fortunately for the ISRO, their third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the moon August 23, 2023.

India's Chandrayaan-3 lands on the moon!

Just a few hours ago, India's Chandrayaan-3 landed on the moon near the south pole. It is the third lunar exploration untaken by the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) Chandrayaan program.  India is the first nation to successfully land a spacecraft near the south pole.

It contains a rover which will explore the lunar surface. 

Mangalyaan, Mars Orbiter, launched 2013

Mangalyaan, India's Mars Orbiter mission, was launched November 5, 2013.  It was built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the first interplanetary mission for India.  The ISRO is the fourth space agency to reach Mars.  Mangalyaan has been orbiting Mars since September 2014.

Mangalyaan, India's Mars Orbiter, sends back stunning pictures!

The India Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched their Mars Orbiter, called Mangalyaan, November 2013 and it entered Mars the following September.  India became the fourth space agency to reach Mars, the first Asian country to put a probe in orbit around the planet and the first country to do so on its first attempt. 

The cloud formation (arrow in above photograph) is seen around Ascraeus Mons, the northernmost and tallest of three shield volcanoes, known as the Tharsis Montes in the Tharsis region of Mars.

Bakhuysen Crater

Three linked Craters of Mars

Juventae Fons and Baetis Chasma - Terrains on planet Mars

India reaches the moon! Chandrayaan I launched 2008

India's first lunar probe, Chandrayaan 1, was launched October 22, 2008 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center north of Chennai.  The spacecraft consisted of an orbiter and a lander.  Chandrayaan 1 entered lunar orbit on November 8 and the Moon Impact Probe separated from the orbiter on November 14. 

The Moon Impact Probe landed near the Shackleton crater on the south pole, making India the fourth country to reach the moon.

Two months shy of its first anniversary, the orbiter stopped sending signals on August 28, 2009.  Indian Space Research Organization expected it to crash onto the lunar surface in 2012 but as of 2016, it is still in orbit.