Chandrayaan 2 mission has made India the fourth country to carry out soft landing land rover on the surface of the moon after Russia, America, and China. Chandrayaan-2 will probe earth's only natural satellite.
It would be the first time ISRO will touchdown on the surface of the moon. Chandrayaan-1 preceded Chandrayaan-2
Here are the points which make Chandrayaan 2 mission stand apart from Chandrayaan 1:
1. The launch: Chandrayaan 1 was launched on October 22, 2008, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. 11 years later, Chandrayaan 2 started its space journey on July 22.
2. Launch Vehicle: The moon mission was launched by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C11, while Chandrayaan 2 was launched by Geo Satellite Launch Vehicle, GSLV Mk-III.
The range of launch vehicles owned by ISRO
3. Nature of Function: Chandrayaan-1 made more than 3,400 orbits around the moon while Chandrayaan 2 aims to make a soft landing on the lunar surface.
4. Duration of Operation: ISRO's first moon venture was operational for 312 days till August 29, 2009.
5. Weight: According to ISRO, Chandrayaan 1 weighed 1380 kg while the weight of Chandrayaan 2 is more than twice the weight of the former. It weighs 3850 kg.
6. Instruments onboard: Chandrayaan-1 had eleven scientific instruments onboard in the spacecraft. Five of them were Indian while the others were from the European Space Agency (ESA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) and Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. While its follow-on mission, Chandrayaan 2, eight scientific payloads for mapping the lunar surface. It comprised an orbiter, Lander (Vikram) which carried three scientific payloads along with Rover (Pragyaan).
7. Lunar regions studied: Chandrayaan 1 studied the northern region of the moon. Chandrayaan 2 will study the southern region of the moon after making a soft landing,
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