Chandrayaan-2 launch viewing registration starts at midnight

Chandrayaan-2 is scheduled to blast off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR spaceport in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on July 15 at 2:51 AM. The launch vehicle for this mission will be ISRO’s tried and tested Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk-III). Chandrayaan-2’s one and only destination will be the moon. On September 6, the spacecraft is expected to make a soft landing in the lunar south pole after what ISRO likes to call “15 terrifying minutes” of slow entry into the lunar orbit.

Chandrayaan-2, India’s second uncrewed lunar mission, consists of a lunar lander (Vikram), rover (Pragyan), and orbiter modules. All of them are stacked together in a composite structure and interfaced mechanically. When Chandrayaan-2 reaches the lunar orbit, the lander, with the rover inside it, will decouple itself from the orbiter and make its way to the surface. The rover is equipped with six wheels to help it move about the rocky and sandy lunar surface in search of fossils.

Chandrayaan-2 began its journey from ISRO’s satellite centre in Bengaluru to the spaceport in Sriharikota by road some two weeks ago. ISRO has yet to supply more information on how interested viewers can attend the launch on July 15. The airports closest to barrier island of Sriharikota are the Tirupati International Airport (88 km) and Chennai Domestic Airport (121 km). Sriharikota is also connected by train (via Sullurupeta) and road (National Highway 5).