Window to launch Chandrayaan-2 will be between Jan 3 and Feb 16: Isro chief

NEW DELHI: Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will launch its second moon mission ‘Chandrayaan-2’ carrying an orbiter, a lander and a rover between January 3 and February 16 next year.

During a media interaction, Isro chairman K Sivan said, “We have a window of opportunity to launch the mission between January 3 and February 16. We will try our best to launch the mission during this window.”

He said “Chandrayaan-2 will be the first mission in the world going near the "south pole", where recently Nasa's payload M3 on Chandrayaan-1 discovered ice in the shadow of craters.

The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft will carry an orbiter, a lander and a rover. The lander carrying a rover will make a soft-landing on the south pole of the moon and the "rover will spend a full lunar day (14 Earth days) there to make the most of the day time performing experiments. "

The rover will walk 100 metres and analyse the content of the lunar surface. It will also perform several experiments using payloads it will be carrying. The orbiter and rover will send back photographs of the moon within 15 minutes.

The Isro chairman revealed that the “mass of Chandrayaan-2 has been increased to 3.8 tonnes and will be launched by GSLV-MK-III”, instead of GSLV Mk II as planned earlier.

The Chandrayaan-1 was launched in October 2008 and operated until August 2009. The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor. India launched the spacecraft using a PSLV-XL rocket. The launch of Chandrayaan-2 has been postponed twice. The first deadline was in April and later in October.