CHEAP AND GLOBAL
It is a tribute to the Indian scientific community that it has been able to design and execute a mission that is not only the cheapest-ever lunar expedition but also likely to return maximum ‘science value’ for its cost. The budget for Chandrayaan-I is estimated at Rs 386 crore, which comes to less than $80 million to current exchange rates. In contrast, the Chinese mission Chang’e-1, which flew off last year, cost about $169 million. Japan’s Kaguya, which was also launched last year, and the forthcoming LRO of the United States are even more expensive, at about $260 million and $460 million respectively. NASA’s two ‘low-cost’ missions in the ’90s, Lunar Prospector and Clementine, also cost more than Chandrayaan-I, once their costs are adjusted for inflation.

The 11 instruments that Chandrayaan-I is carrying are probably the maximum that any lunar spacecraft has had on board. Because of this, its ‘science value’, which is a loosely defined term to measure the scientific return from a mission, is also likely to be the highest. ‘Science value’ is based on a rough ratio of the number of instruments on board a spacecraft to the total cost of the mission.
The low cost has been ensured by complete indigenisation, a rigorous schedule and innovation. Chandrayaan has been completed in just about four years with most of its instruments and equipment having been designed and built in India by Indian engineers and companies. Despite the fact that it carries six payloads from foreign countries, scientists associated with the project undertook very few foreign tours, which contributed to saving not just money but also time.

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