(a) Whether the project Chandrayan-I involves any foreign collaboration;
(b) If so, the details thereof;
(c) the details of financial implications thereof; and
(d) the benefits likely to accrue to the country as a result of launching of Chandrayan-I?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (SHRI PRITHVIRAJ CHAVAN)
(a) No, Sir. However, out of the eleven scientific instruments to be carried in
Chandrayaan-I spacecraft, six are by foreign scientists and institutions. The spacecraft,
launch and the mission are implemented with indigenous capability.
(b) The details of the foreign scientific instruments are as follows :
1. Moon Mineralogy mapper from JPL/NASA, USA : for mineral mapping.
2. MiniSAR from APL/NASA, USA : for mapping ice in Lunar poles.
3. SIR-2 from Max Plank Institute , Germany through ESA: for mineral mapping.
4. SARA - Combinedly developed by Sweden and Japan through ESA : for Chemical mapping and locate magnetic anomaly regions.
5. CIXS – from Rutherford Appleton Lab, UK through ESA jointly with ISRO: for Chemical mapping. 6. RADOM from Bulgaria : for radiation monitoring.