Chandrayaan 2 mission begins July 9: The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) on Thursday announced that India is all set to visit Moon for the second time under the Chandrayaan-2 mission. A tweet posted by the space agency noted that the launch window will take place from July 9 to July 16 this year. The expected moon landing is likely to take place on September 6, 2019. ISRO asserted that the mission will be launched using the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III (GSLV Mk III) from Sriharikota.
The tweet posted by the space agency also noted that the 800 crore mission will carry three modules — Orbiter, Lander (Vikram), and Rover (Pragyan). Earlier, the lunar mission was scheduled to take place in April, however, it was postponed following an unsuccessful attempt to the moon by Israel.
In a statement released by the space agency, it was noted that the Orbiter and Lander modules will be interfaced mechanically and stacked together as an integrated module and accommodated inside the GSLV MK-III launch vehicle. The Rover is housed inside the Lander.
It will take over 35 to 45 days for the Chandrayaan 2 to reach the moon, where the lander will make a landing near the south pole – a currently unexplored territory.
After China, the US, and Russia, India would be the third country to complete the feat. It is India’s second mission to moon after Chandrayaan-1. The first mission was launched in 2008 and was a massive success. It led to the discovery of water-ice particles on the moon’s surface and had also done a 3D mapping of the moon, and captured high-resolution pictures.
On the other hand, Chandrayaan-2 is aimed at exploring the presence of Helium 3 on the moon, which is expected to be a potential source of energy.
Soon after the ISRO’s announcement, people across the country have expressed their excitement over the second lunar mission. Here are some of the tweets that highlight the buzz going around the Chandrayaan 2.
