India's Second Lunar Probe Chandrayaan-2 to Be Launched in 2017

"The Chandrayaan-2, India's second mission to the Moon, has Orbiter, Lander and Rover configuration. It is planned to be launched during 2017-2018 time frame by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota," Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation, Chandrayaan-2 is an advanced version of the Chandrayaan-1 mission.

Chandrayaan-1 was launched from the Chennai-based spaceport on October 22, 2008. It was a successful mission where the spacecraft orbited around the Moon at a height of 100 km from the lunar surface for chemical, mineralogical and photo-geological mapping of the Earth's natural satellite.

Chandryaan-2 will be an indigenous mission where Isro will develop the lunar Lander and be responsible for the Orbiter and Rover as well as the launch by GSLV.

Late last month, the parliament was informed that India will launch six more satellites during 2015-16, of which two would be communication satellites, three navigation satellites and one space science satellite ASTROSAT.

In a written reply, Jitendra Singh, minister of state in the prime minister's office, told the Rajya Sabha: "Six more satellites are planned to be launched during 2015-16. These are two communication satellites GSAT-6 and GSAT-15; three navigation satellites IRNSS-1E, IRNSS-1F & IRNSS-1G; and one space science satellite ASTROSAT."

In addition, it is also planned to launch 13 more satellites belonging to four countries using the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). As of April 2015, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has launched 74 satellites.

Written with agency inputs