In what will be its next step to reach, land on and explore the Moon, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is gearing up to launch its space science and planetary exploration mission, Chandrayaan-2, on a GSLV MKII launch vehicle, in the first quarter of 2018.

The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft is a composite module consisting of Orbiter, Lander and Rover. Unlike the Chandrayaan-1, where Moon Impact Probe (MIP) crash-landed on the surface of the Moon, the Chandrayaan-2 will soft-land its Lander with Rover on the lunar surface to conduct the next level of scientific ...