India’s prestigious project Chandrayaan-2 will launch the nation in the elite group of nations who have sent a rover on the lunar surface. After aborting the mission on July 15 due to a technical snag. ISRO is all set to launch it once again on July 22 aka today. India’s moon landing mission is all set to create history today. India is looking to go where no other nation has ever gone before with this mission. The scientists at ISRO are planning to send a rover to the Lunar surface on the South Pole. This is the darker side of the Moon. Chandrayaan-2 will attempt to soft-land the lander – Vikram and rover – Pragyan in a high plain between two craters, Manzinus C and Simpelius N, at a latitude of about 70 degrees south. India will be the fourth country ever to soft-land on the lunar surface.
Here is all that you need to know about the Chandrayaan 2 mission:
1. Time and Date of Liftoff:
The launch of Chandrayaan 2 will take place on July 22, 2019. The time set for the take-off is around 2.43 as per Indian Standard Time.
2. Where and How will it be launched:
The mission will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota. It will be launched onboard the GSLV-III and will consist of an Orbiter that will observe the moon surface and relay information from the lander to Earth. The unmanned mission consists of a Rover named Pragyan(means wisdom in Sanskrit). The Pragyan Rover a 6 wheeled AI-powered can travel to 500 m. It can also utilise solar energy for its functions.
3. The Objective of The Mission:
The objectives of the mission: To further study the evidence of water molecules discovered by Chandrayaan I and also to know the extent of its distribution below the surface. Among the mission’s other scientific objectives are experiments to map the Moon’s surface, it’s mineral and element content and moonquakes. South Pole region also has craters that are cold traps and contain a fossil record of the early Solar System.
4. How to watch Chandrayaan-2 launch live?
SDSC Centre in Sriharikota had opened registrations to witness the launch live. But this is now closed. But do not worry, ISRO will live stream the event on its Twitter and Facebook page. Doordarshan will also stream the event live on its YouTube channel. Doordarshan’s live stream will start at 2:10 pm. (www.youtube.com/DoordarshanNational). You can even watch it on Doordarshan Channel on your television.
5. GSLV Mk-III specifications:
The GSLV Mk-III can carry the 4-ton class of satellites to the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). Components of the three-stage launcher are S200 solid rocket boosters, L110 liquid stage, and the C25 upper stage. The weight of the orbiter is 2,379 kg and it has an electric power generation capability of 1,000 W. It will be placed in a 100×100 km lunar polar orbit. The Vikram lander weighs 1,471 kg and can generate electric power of 650W. The 6-wheeled Pragyaan rover weighs 27kg and can generate 50W of electrical power. It can travel up to 500m and relies on solar energy for its functioning. The orbiter is expected to be functional for around a year. The mission of Vikram lander and Pragyaan rover is touted to be one lunar day, which translates to 14 days on Earth.
Chandrayaan 2 is quite inexpensive compared to the missions of other countries. Its total cost is Rs 978 crore which includes Rs 603 crore as mission cost and Rs 375 crore as its launch cost.
Also Read: Chandrayaan-2 mission launch called off due to technical snags