Chandrayaan 2 mission: PM Modi to watch landing on the Moon live with 60 children from ISRO

Chandrayaan 2 mission: PM Modi to watch landing on the Moon live with 60 children from ISRO

Chandrayaan 2 mission: Prime Minister Modi and the children will watch the historic landing live from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) control room.

Chandrayaan 2 mission: PM Modi to watch from ISRO

The Chandrayaan 2 moon landing is scheduled to take place at 1:55 am on Saturday, August 7. Along with the rest of the country, PM Modi will witness the historic feat with a group of 60 students. With the landing, India will join the ranks of a few elite countries to have landed on the lunar surface. When Chandrayaan 2's lander Vikram reaches the south side of the moon, India will be the first country to reach closest to the moon's South Pole.

Prime Minister Modi and the children will watch the historic landing live from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) control room. The children were selected through an online quiz conducted by ISRO for students of Classes 8 to 10. Twenty questions had to be answered within 10 minutes. All the children who took part in the quiz will be issued a certificate.

Manogya Singh Suyansh from Delhi, Ribait Phawa from Meghalaya, Chinmaya Chaudhury from Odisha, Rashi Verma from Lucknow and Andhra Pradesh's Pragada Kanchana Balasri Vasavi are some of the children who will join the PM. According to Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan officials, 16 of the 60 students are from KVs from different parts of the country.

PM Modi had urged students to take part in this quiz on July 28. He had said that it will motivate the next generation to develop interest in space science.

Talking about the rare opportunity Manogya Singh Suyansh told new agency PTI, "I have been fascinated about space since Class 3 when I had once made model of the nine planets as part of the holiday homework. Since then I developed an interest and have read books on the same," while Rashi Verma said, "I have dreamt of meeting him ever since he took over as the prime minister first time. I was in Class 5 then. I am glad I will get to watch this historic event and that too with PM Modi."

"I participate in all competitions in school so when our teacher told us about the online quiz, I was very enthusiastic to participate. I am glad I did and excited about the fact that I am the only one from my state to have won the contest and have the opportunity," said Vasavi from Andhra Pradesh.

The moon lander Vikram separated from its orbiter and has already performed two manoeuvres to lower its orbit to touch the lunar surface between 1:30 am and 2:30 am on Saturday. The lander will move in this orbit till 6th September night and 7th September morning, which is when the decision for the final landing will be taken. When that happens, the engines of Vikram Lander will be fired to slow down its speed for the final soft landing. Once the final touchdown of Vikram Lander happens in the virgin area of the moon, the rover will come down from the ramp which will be lowered after 2 hours of landing.

Vikram Lander will take approximately 30 to 50 minutes to touch down the last 35 kilometres, as explained by former ISRO scientist Pramod Kale to India Today. He explained that there are a large number of experiments that Pragyaan rover has to carry in its 14 days of existence on the moon surface.

Also watch: