If Chandrayan I is aiming at mapping the moon besides landing a lunar probe on its surface, Chandrayan II, tentatively scheduled for 2011-12, will land a rover to collect and analyse samples from the lunar surface. Yet another initiative is to carry an Indian to the moon — the first ever manned mission planned by the space agency — for which ISRO is about to complete a project report. If the Government approves the proposal, this mission would be undertaken by 2015.

In the latest development in astronomical research, the American space agency NASA has proposed to set up the International Lunar Network (ILN) with cooperation from agencies of other countries that have the wherewithal to launch missions to the moon. The effort is to set up a network of 6-8 stations on the Moon to study the celestial body closer and deeper.

ISRO was part of the meeting held at the Lunar Science Institute of NASA in California in the third week of July, and has indicated its interest in studying the proposal.

“That (ILN) is an idea floated by an international community of scientists. We had participated in the deliberations. Humans are looking at nearby objects to have a better understanding of our universe. In that context, we said we can cooperate and share scientific information,” ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said replying to a query, here, on Wednesday.

ISRO is putting the final touches to the Chandrayan I mission, expected to be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota this October. The payloads for Chandrayan I have reached ISRO’s satellite centre at Bangalore and have been integrated with the satellite, said Nair, adding that the thermovac process would begin within a week. “After this process, which takes about 50 days, we will be able to announce the launch date. The latest is October,” he said.

Even as they are concentrating on the present mission, the agency has decided to collaborate with Roskosmos, Russia’s Federal Space Agency, to build a spacecraft jointly for use in the second mission, Chandrayan II, said Nair.

“We have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Russian space agency to jointly build a space craft. It will have one orbitor which will go around the moon and a lander or rover that will touch down on the lunar surface and collect samples for analysis.