Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) director S.K. Shivakumar said the payload for Chandrayaan-2 will be confirmed at a meeting scheduled to be held in Bangalore on August 3, 2010. "The payloads are currently going through the process of short-listing," he said.
Speaking on 'Chandrayaan-Deep Space Network (DSN)' organized by the Institute of Engineers, Shivakumar said the probe would 'take forward' some of the accomplishments of Chandrayaan-1. He also described the step-by-step installation process of the DNS antenna constructed by ISRO to track signals of Chandrayaan 1.
ISRO constructed two DSN antennas - 32-metre primary antenna and 18-metre sandby antenna, at a cost of Rs. 100 crore at Byalalu on the outskirts of Bangalore. The Deep Space Network antenna is currently tracking the signals of Venus express satellite from Japan and waiting permission from the European Space Agency to track their Mars express satellite. The DSN satellite is epected to provide complete support for Chandrayaan 2. Chandrayaan 2 is scheduled for a 2012 launch and it would have an Indian-made orbiter and rover and a Russian Lander.