India's Chandrayaan-2 Will Carry NASA's Laser To Moon, And We Couldn't Be More Proud Of ISRO

In April, India is set to launch its second mission to the Moon.

Chandrayaan-2 is an advanced version of its predecessor almost 10 years ago, to conduct experiments and land a rover on the Moon. And the mission will now apparently also carry instruments for NASA.

ISRO

Chandrayaan-2 will reportedly carry laser retroreflector arrays for the US space organisation, which will help us measure the exact distance between us and the Moon. Some of these instruments are also flying out to our natural satellite before India's mission, on board the Israeli Beresheet spacecraft, which will touch down April 11.

Retroreflectors are basically advanced mirror systems that scientists on Earth can shoots lasers at to bounce back. By analysing the speed of the laser and the time it takes to return, NASA can precisely calculate just how far the lander is from us, and therefore the Moon's distance.

Chandrayaan-2 is budgeted at Rs 800 crore, though it won't yet be clear just how much of that ISRO actually ended up using. It'll see a 3,890kg spacecraft orbit the Moon to study, while a lander (Vikram) will attempt to put a rover down on the South Pole. The mission will be launched aboard the GSLV Mk III.

The historic mission will make us the fifth country to ever land on the Moon, after the Soviet Union, the US, China, and Israel.