On the prospects of future missions, the ISRO chairman said as the earth's nearest celestial object, the moon could be converted into a base for inter-planetary exploration or for scientists to study solar system.

'Either manned or unmanned observatory may become essential on the moon. If we want to achieve that, the basic element is water. We also need water for sustaining life and beyond that it could be used for various purposes such as fuel for rockets,' Nair pointed out.

The abundance of sunlight will enable scientists to convert it into electricity. Lunar water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen and used as fuel for various purposes, including missions to Mars and other planets in the solar system.

'There is a wide variety of applications. But we have to find adequate quantities of water. We know that from 70 degrees latitude onwards, there are traces of water molecules and the belief that it could be more in the poles is strengthened. Once we can confirm that, it could be of great benefit for future exploration of planetary system,' Nair noted.