ISRO's Chandrayaan-2 launch at 2:43 pm today
ISRO is all set for India's ambitious lunar mission, the 20-hour launch countdown for Chandrayaan-2 began Sunday evening at 6.43 pm, tweeted space agency ISRO. Chandrayaan-2, India's ambitious Rs. 1,000-crore moon mission, is set to be launched at 2.43 pm today. Chandrayaan 2 is the second mission to the moon of India. "Chandrayaan-2 consists of an orbiter, a lander called Vikram and a rover known as Pragyan. If all goes according to plan, touchdown will occur on September 7".
The moon mission will lift-off from Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota, days after the first launch attempt was called off.
The mission was aborted 56 minutes and 24 seconds before its launch last Monday after a technical snag was discovered in the unmanned launch vehicle system. In its announcement, ISRO had said that the step to delay the launch was taken "as a measure of abundant precaution".
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be live streaming the Chandrayaan-2 launch on its Twitter and Facebook page.
10 interesting facts about Chandrayaan 2
- 'One day on the Moon lasts as long as 29.5 Earth days.'
- Solar energy will be used by both the lander and the rover to generate electricity.
- ISRO wants to know if the water is permanently found on the shadowed part of the Moon.
- ISRO chief K. Sivan said that the most terrifying part of the mission is 15 minutes after the lander separates from the orbiter.
- The rover ‘Pragyan’ is tucked inside the ‘Vikram’ lander and it will roll out after the lander makes its soft landing.
- ISRO will be carrying 13 indigenous payloads and one instrument from NASA which is the Laser Retroreflector Array. Its mission life will last longer than Chandrayaan 2 and will study the Moon's interiors.
- The lander and rover will be conducting their experiments in over a period of 15 days.
- The rover has six wheels that will be painted in the Tricolor.
- The total cost of the Chandrayaan 2 mission is Rs 603 crores, excluding the rocket.
- Chandrayaan 2 is scheduled to launch on 15 July 2019 at 2.51 am IST from Sriharikota. If everything goes as planned, the lander will touchdown on the surface of Moon on 6 September 2019.
Also Read | Chandrayaan-2 rover-lander tested on 'moon surface' created with Salem soil
Also Read | Snag that aborted Chandrayaan-2 mission fixed
Video: Countdown begins as Chandrayaan-2 to be launched today at 2:43 pm
