The number of active Indians on YouTube and Hotstar at 1.40 am on September 7 is going to skyrocket (pun intended). It will be redundant to say why, but Chandrayaan 2's lander and rover will land on the lunar surface. If the mission is successful, India will become the first to reach closest to the moon's south pole.
Before we cheer that, let us have a look at a few major missions undertaken by the ISRO before Chandrayaan 2.
Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalayaan)
You must have just had the mission fresh on your minds, thanks to Akshay Kumar's Mission Mangal. On September 24, 2014, India became the first country to enter Mar's orbit in the first attempt. Also, the cost here was just $74 million
Chandrayaan-1
Prequel to Chandrayaan-2, this was India's first mission to the moon. On 8 November 2008, the vehicle entered the moon's orbit. It surveyed the moon's surface to produce a complete map of its chemical characteristics and 3D topography over two years.
PSLV
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), one of the most notable projects of ISRO is a launch system to launch Indian Remote Sensing satellites. The maximum number of satellites launched by the PSLV in a single launch is 104
INSAT
The Indian National Satellite System, commissioned in 1983, is the is the largest domestic communication system in the Asia-Pacific. This takes care of the country's telecommunication, broadcasting, meteorology and search-and-rescue needs.
