Web Exclusive | February 2017
Russia supplied isotopes for Indian lunar exploration mission Chandrayaan-2
Russian company Isotope (part of ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation) supplied Cm-244 alpha-emitter to Physical Research Laboratory (Ahmedabad, India). Radionuclide curium-244 (Cm-244) manufactured by Russian “State Scientific Center - Research Institute of Atomic Reactors” (JSC SSC RIAR) is a pure alpha-emitter that enables sources to determine chemical composition of any rocks and soils. It will be installed on the Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) aimed at analysing the lunar surface within the India's second lunar exploration mission Chandrayaan-2. The launch of spacecraft is scheduled for 2018.
Earlier Russia has already supplied similar products to USA for launching of three NASA’s expeditions - Mars Pathfinder (1997), Opportunity (2004) and Curiosity (2012) dedicated to explore rock chemistry on Mars. Cm-244 production is carried out only in two countries in the world - Russia and the USA.