Rover
The rover's mass will be about 20 kg (44 lb)
and will operate on solar power. The rover
will move on wheels on the lunar surface,
perform on-site chemical analysis and send
the data to the orbiter above, which will relay
it to the Earth station.
The initial plan was for the rover to be
designed in Russia and fabricated in India.
However, after Russia proved unable to
contribute to the mission, ISRO decided on
designing and fabricating the rover itself. IIT
Kanpur is developing three subsystems to
provide mobility:
Stereoscopic camera-based 3D vision - will
provide the ground team controlling the
rovers a 3D view of the surrounding terrain.
Kinematic traction control - will enable the
rover to negotiate the rough lunar terrain
using independent steering provided on four
of its wheels.
Control and motor dynamics - The rover will
have six wheels, each driven by an
independent electric motor. Four of the
wheels will also be capable of independent
steering. A total of 10 electric motors will be
used for traction and steering.
Payload
ISRO has announced that an expert
committee has decided on five scientific
instruments for the orbiter, four for the lander,
and two for the rover. While it was initially
reported that NASA and ESA would
participate in the mission by providing some
scientific instruments for the orbiter, ISRO
has later clarified that due to weight
restrictions it will not be carrying foreign
payloads on this mission.
Orbiter payload
Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer (CLASS)
from ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), Bangalore
and Solar X-ray monitor (XSM) from Physical
Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad for
mapping major elements present on the lunar
surface.
L and S band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
from Space Applications Centre (SAC),
Ahmedabad for probing the first few tens of
metres of the lunar surface for the presence of
different constituents, including water ice.
SAR is expected to provide further evidence
confirming the presence of water ice below
the shadowed regions of the Moon.
Imaging IR Spectrometer (IIRS) from SAC,
Ahmedabad for mapping of lunar surface
over a wide wavelength range for the study of
minerals, water molecules and hydroxyl
present.
Neutral Mass Spectrometer (ChACE-2) from
Space
Physics
Laboratory
(SPL),
Thiruvananthapuram to carry out a detailed
study of the lunar exosphere.
Terrain Mapping Camera-2 (TMC-2) from
SAC, Ahmedabad for preparing a three-
dimensional map essential for studying the
lunar mineralogy and geology.
Lander payload
Seismometer for studying Moon-quakes near
the landing site
Thermal probe for estimating the thermal
properties of the lunar surface
Langmuir probe for measuring the density
and variation of lunar surface plasma
Radio occultation experiment for measuring
the total electron content
Rover payload
Laser induced Breakdown Spectroscope
(LIBS) from Laboratory for Electro Optic
Systems (LEOS), Bangalore.
Alpha Particle Induced X-ray Spectroscope
(APIXS)
from
PRL,
Ahmedabad
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