Payloads

[akhil]

What is the meaning of payloads ? I have heard that Chandrayaan carried 12 payloads what does this actually means ?

[mooniac]

Payloads are 'goods carried by a rocket for its mission'. :)

In this case, they are scientific experiments, or more practically, devices, sensors, data recorders. Each payload has its own objective. Chandrayaan has payloads from different countries and different space agencies. Each 'machine/sensor/camera/recorder' measures or captures some information about the environment on or around the moon and transmits it back to earth.

The PSLV Rocket Launches the Satellite, Chandrayaan.
(so the satellite is a payload of the rocket, because the rocket carries the satellite to its destination)

The Satellite contains various experiments/sensors.
( the experiments are also called payloads of the satellite, because the satellite carries the experiments/sensors to the moon in this case)

;)
You can read more about each payload here:

http://www.chandrayaan-i.com/chandrayaan1/how/payloads.html