Scientific Objective
Objectives
- Design, develop, launch and orbit a spacecraft around the Moon using an Indian-made launch vehicle.
- Conduct scientific experiments using instruments on the spacecraft which would yield data for the preparation of a three-dimensional atlas (with high spatial and altitude resolution of 5–10 m) of both the near and far sides of the Moon.
- Perform chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface at high spatial resolution, mapping particularly the chemical elements magnesium, aluminium, silicon, calcium, iron, titanium, radon, uranium and thorium.
- Increase scientific knowledge of the Moon.
- Test the impact of a sub-satellite (Moon Impact Probe – MIP) on the surface of the Moon as a forerunner for future soft-landing missions.
Goals
- High-resolution mineralogical and chemical imaging of the permanently shadowed north and south polar regions.
- Searching for surface or sub-surface lunar water ice, especially at the lunar poles.
- Identification of chemicals in lunar highland rocks.
- Chemical stratigraphy of the lunar crust by remote sensing of the central uplands of large lunar craters, and of the South Pole–Aitken Region (SPAR), an expected site of interior material.
- Mapping the height variation of features of the lunar surface.
- Observation of the X-ray spectrum greater than 10 keV and stereographic coverage of most of the Moon's surface with 5 m resolution.
- Providing new insights into understanding the Moon's origin and evolution.
Outcome: most of these objectives were achieved — including the landmark detection of water molecules announced in September 2009, high-resolution terrain mapping of both hemispheres, and radar evidence of polar water ice.