Coimbatore, Nov 18: After the success of Chandrayaan-1, India``s first moon mission, country is ready for its second lunar mission as it started work on Chandrayaan-2, says M. Annadurai, Project Director, Chandrayaan-1.
Talking to media here on Monday, Annadurai said the Central Cabinet has already given its approval for the second moon mission.
"Chandrayaan-2 has been already approved by the cabinet. And we have been given the budget of rupees 4.25 billion," he added.
Chandrayaan-2, which will be a joint effort between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Russia, is planned for 2011.
The mission will consist of a lander and a rover for a soft landing on moon.
The rover will move on the surface of the moon and pick up samples of rocks and the soil and conduct a chemical analysis on it. The data would then be sent to the spacecraft orbiting above.
India launched Chandrayaan-1 on October 22, joining the Asian space race in the footsteps of rival China and reinforcing its claim to be considered a global power.
Chandrayaan-1, a cuboid spacecraft built by ISRO, is also seen as a boost for the country``s ambitions to gain more global space business.
ANI
