The primary objective of Chandrayaan 2 is to showcase the ability to soft-land on the lunar surface and operate a robotic rover on the surface. Isro's mission will help in studies of lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, the lunar exosphere, and signatures of hydroxyl and water ice.
Chandrayaan 2 latest update: The first de-orbiting manoeuvre for Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was performed successfully today (September 03, 2019) beginning at 0850 hrs IST as planned, using the onboard propulsion system, ISRO announced in a post.
The duration of the de-orbiting maneuver was 4 seconds.
The orbit of Vikram Lander is 104 km x 128 km. Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter continues to orbit the Moon in the existing orbit and both the Orbiter and Lander are healthy.
Chandrayaan 2: Vikram lander inches closer to moon
The next de-orbiting operation is scheduled on Wednesday between 3.30 a.m - 4.30 a.m.
What's the time of Chandrayaan 2's moon landing?
Vikram is scheduled to roll out Pragyaan, a six-wheeled rover, after making a soft landing on the south polar region of the moon on September 7 between 1.30 a.m. to 2.30 a.m. Pragyaan will carry out the research for which it was designed.
On Monday afternoon, moon lander, Vikram got separated from its mother spacecraft Chandrayaan-2. Meanwhile, the Orbiter will continue to fly around the moon for the next one year.
On July 22, the Rs 978-crore Chandrayaan-2 was launched into space by India's heavy-lift rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV Mk III) in a textbook style launch.
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