Chandrayaan-2, India's second moon mission, is set to be launched in July this year. The lift-off has been scheduled during the launch window of July 9-16, 2019 with an expected moon landing on September 6, 2019.
Here is all you need to know about India's second moon mission Chandrayaan-2:
- Chandrayaan 2, India's second Moon mission will have 13 payloads and one passive experiment from American space agency NASA. The thirteen payloads will include 8 on the orbiter, 3 on lander and 2 on rover.
- Chandrayaan-2, India's second lunar mission, has three modules namely Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan).
- The Orbiter and Lander modules will be interfaced mechanically and stacked together as an integrated module and accomodated inside the GSLV MK-III launch vehicle. The Rover is housed inside the Lander.
- After launch into earth bound orbit by GSLV MK-III, the integrated module will reach moon orbit using Orbiter propulsion module. Subsequently, Lander will separate from the Orbiter and soft land at the predetermined site close to lunar South Pole.
- The Rover will roll out for carrying out scientific experiments on the lunar surface. Instruments are also mounted on Lander and Orbiter for carrying out scientific experiments.
- According to ISRO, all the modules are getting for Chandrayaan-2 launch during the window of July 9 to July 16 with an expected moon landing on September 6, 2019.
- Earlier this year, ISRO Chairman K Sivan had said: We are going to land at a place where nobody else has gone - the Moon's South Pole...it is unexplored region."
- Chandrayaan-2 mission is an advanced version of the previous Chandrayaan-1 mission about 10 years ago.
- Chandrayaan-1 had 11 payloads- five from India, three from Europe, 2 from USA and 1 from Bulgaria, and the mission had the credit for discovery of water on the lunar surface. The 1.4 tonne spacecraft was launched using PSLV and the orbiter had orbited 100 km from the lunar surface.