Deep dive into India’s Chandrayaan Moon missions like never before

India’s Chandrayaan program is one of the few in the world dedicated to the exploration of our Moon. Starting with its discovery of lunar water that catalyzed the global Moon rush of today, the program has gotten media and creator attention worldwide. However, the coverage has often lacked the program’s specific scientific, technological, and geopolitical outcomes being laid out and contextualized against global activities. Without adequate global context and specifics of outcomes, no space mission can be understood well. Which is why I’ve been writing articles and explainers on Chandrayaan Moon missions for years now with these anchor points in mind. Gladly, my work has been globally quoted and cited in books, published research, on Nature’s media arm, by ISRO, and so on. The one thing readers have asked many times is where can they browse all my Chandrayaan articles in one place to understand the program in full context or dive into specifics. Well, now you’re on such a page, accessible anytime at “jatan.space/chandrayaan”.

While my blog has long offered full-text search and an Indian space category, I can see why having this dedicated Chandrayaan page can be useful to many. I hope it helps people in at least two ways:

1. Offer a good starting point for anyone either wanting to dive into or catch up on Chandrayaan missions
2. Save research & consumption time of my regular readers who can leverage the extensive linking policy in my articles, which proudly goes against the media norm by actually giving you all the sources upfront.

With that context, presenting below the master list of organized, linked articles covering ISRO’s Chandrayaan lunar program, mission by mission. Have fun diving into the depths of how the Chandrayaans have contributed to lunar exploration, science and policy, get excited about missions in store for the future, and also reflect on parts where the program has lagged or been unsuccessful. As far as I know, no such centralized resource exists the world over. And it’s all free to read, with zero ads. If you value this work done over years to improve public understanding of Chandrayaan missions worldwide, kindly support my independent writing. 🌙

Sections

• Chandrayaan 1
• Chandrayaan 2 orbiter
• From a crashing Chandrayaan 2 to an upright Chandrayaan 3
• Science from Chandrayaan 3
• Updates by year
• Future Chandrayaan missions
• Your feedback

Click links and feed your curiosity. That’s what the Web is for. :)

Chandrayaan 1

India’s first Moon mission

• Looking back at Chandrayaan 1 and forward to Artemis
• How NASA and India discovered water on our Moon
• Interviewing Chandrayaan 1’s Mission Director
• How Chandrayaan 1 viewed a solar eclipse from the Moon
• Tangent: Kids in South Korea and a Moon mission

Chandrayaan 2 orbiter

The one to remember

• ISRO’s Chandrayaan 2 orbiter has been creating the highest resolution map of the Moon
  • Lunar science results from Chandrayaan 2
  • The sharpest lunar imager
  • How the Chandrayaan 2 orbiter is a Sun watcher at the Moon
  • The search for lunar water deepens
• International collaboration and outlook:
  • ISRO has been aiding NASA in Artemis crewed Moon landing site selections
  • NASA, ISRO, and KARI are coordinating lunar traffic for their orbiters
  • ISRO’s Chandrayaan 2 orbiter helped Japan nail SLIM’s Moon landing
  • A giant leap in orbital imagery is what we need to realize advanced Moon missions

From a crashing Chandrayaan 2 to an upright Chandrayaan 3

How ISRO went from a crashing Chandrayaan 2 lander to an upright Chandrayaan 3 on the Moon

• On Chandrayaan 2’s landing failure
  • Overview of Chandrayaan 2, India’s first Moon landing attempt
  • Watching Chandrayaan 2 launch
  • Explainer: Why did it take so long to find the Chandrayaan 2 lander?
  • Chandrayaan 2, the orbiter to remember
• India aims for the Moon again with launch of Chandrayaan 3
  • Feeling the Chandrayaan 3 launch
  • Russia’s Luna 25 was not racing against Chandrayaan 3
• How Chandrayaan 3 made its historic touchdown on our Moon
  • Chandrayaan 3 was not a south polar landing
  • Chandrayaan 3 hopped on the Moon
  • Over 200 million Indian school students to learn about Chandrayaan 3, mixed with mythology
• The engineer who played a key role in Chandrayaan 3’s triumphant touchdown
• India signs the US-led Artemis Accords
• On (not) celebrating Chandrayaan 3’s Moon landing

Science from Chandrayaan 3

The first results from high lunar latitudes

• An overview of all Chandrayaan 3 science results
• How Chandrayaan 3 contributed insights on our Moon’s origin and evolution
• Results from Chandrayaan 3 thermal experiment benefit future missions eyeing lunar water
• Chandrayaan 3 rover may (or may not) have stumbled upon the Moon’s mantle material
• Chandrayaan 3 orbiter observed Earth like an exoplanet

Updates by year

• 2025
• 2024
• 2023
• For ongoing updates in 2026, subscribe to Moon Monday. 🌝

Future Chandrayaan missions

A sample return mission, a resource prospector, and more.

• Chandrayaan 4 will bring unique Moon materials—and maybe a giant scientific leap for India
  • The case for India and China to exchange lunar samples
  • Why India needs to launch Chandrayaan 4 in time to ensure maximum national and international benefits
• The Indo-Japanese Chandrayaan 5 LUPEX mission will drill for water on the Moon and aid Artemis
• ISRO’s Chandrayaan and Gaganyaan programs will converge at Luna
• ISRO’s NGLV-rocket-based architecture for eventual crewed Moon missions

Your feedback