The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft will be ready for integration with the launch vehicle this month, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) K. Sivan said on Saturday.
Mr. Sivan, who is on a visit to the ISRO facilities here, told The Hindu that the assembly of the launch vehicle, Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk-III (GSLV Mk-III), was on at the Sriharikota spaceport.
On May 1, the ISRO announced a July 9 - July 16 launch window for India’s second moon mission with plans to land on the lunar surface on September 6.
“All systems are ready. The satellite (Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft) will be ready for integration in May. But unlike other satellites, we cannot launch just because it is ready. We need to have specific conditions on the moon for a landing,” he said.
The spacecraft has three modules: an orbiter, a lander (Vikram), and a rover (Pragyan). Mr. Sivan added that Chandrayaan-2 was the most complex mission undertaken by the ISRO to date, primarily on account of the soft touchdown required at the chosen landing site - near the lunar south pole.
The Moon Impact Probe (MIP) on Chandrayaan-1, by comparison, had not been designed for a soft landing.
Safe landing
For a safe landing on the moon, the velocity of the lander - which will detach from the orbiter - has to be reduced under right conditions, Mr. Sivan said.
“To achieve that remotely, it is a very complex operation. We have built the systems for that,” he said.
Mr. Sivan also drew attention to the failed ‘Beresheet’, a privately funded Israeli mission, where the lander crashed on the lunar surface in April.
The GSLV Mk-III, which will be used to lift the spacecraft to the earth-bound orbit, will be carrying its heaviest payload to date - 3.8 tonnes.
4-tonne payload
“The GSLV Mk-III is designed to carry 4-tonne payloads. In its earlier flights, we have carried 3.3 tonnes and 3.4 tonnes. This time it is 3.8 tonnes,” Mr. Sivan said.