Chandrayaan-1 Discovers Water on the Moon

On October 22, 2008, ISRO launched Chandrayaan-1, India's first mission to the Moon. The spacecraft, carrying 11 scientific instruments (including payloads from NASA, ESA, and the Bulgarian Space Agency), entered lunar orbit and deployed the Moon Impact Probe (MIP), which crash-landed near the Moon's south pole — making India the fourth nation to place its flag on the lunar surface. But Chandrayaan-1's most significant discovery was made by NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper instrument aboard the spacecraft: it detected widespread water molecules (H2O) and hydroxyl (OH) on the lunar surface, particularly concentrated near the poles. This discovery, announced in September 2009, fundamentally changed our understanding of the Moon and made lunar south pole exploration a priority for future missions. The mission cost just $79 million — less than the budget of many Hollywood films.