"ISRO will undertake more lunar missions if the first one turns out to be successful. In fact, we propose to launch two lunar missions before 2015," P. Madhavan Nair, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation said.

He said preparations were on track for the first mission called Chandrayan-I or Moon Vehicle I.

"We have completed all design activities and we our now in the process of building special instruments," Nair told reporters.

The 590-kilogram (1,298-pound) Chandrayan-1 is expected to map the lunar terrain for minerals and conduct scientific experiments, he added.

The scientist said the 2007 mission also aims at landing a small probe -- an "impacter" module weighing about 20 kilograms (44 pounds) -- on the surface of the moon.

The moon probe will detach itself from the spacecraft and land on the moon in order to examine it more closely, he said.

"On immediately touching the surface, the impacter will kick up some dust," Nair said.

"The master control room will pick the dust through mounted cameras and analyse it. The spacecraft will keep circling the moon and sending data to the ground stations," Nair said.

The official said a tracking network has been developed to monitor the spacecraft while it is in orbit.

A special ground station is also coming up near southern Bangalore city where ISRO is headquartered, he said.

Besides India, the United States, the European Space Agency, China and Japan are planning lunar missions during the next decade.

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