Chandrayaan-2 landing time, date, where to watch: Rover roll out time, When will first pictures come

Bengaluru, Sep 06: Chandrayaan-2 landing time or the time when Vikram lander touches down on Moon's surface is expected to be 1:55 am IST on September 7. The lander will begin its descent from an altitude of 30 kms from lunar surface at 1.40 am IST on September 7 and will soft land near Moon's South Pole 15 minutes later, at 1.55 am.

The final 30 km descent towards the Lunar surface would be covered in about 15 minutes using a sequence of powered manoeuvres. Vikram Lander's downward-looking camera will scan and ensure that there are no obstructions in landing area.

Where will 'Vikram Lander' land?

It will touchdown at a site around 600 kilometres from the lunar South pole. 71 degrees South and 22.8 degrees East of the equator between the Manzinus C and Simpelius N craters. The landing spot is said to be a highland that rises between craters called Manzinus C and Simpelius N. Vikram will be the first craft to land near the lunar south pole.

When will the Pragyan rover be rolled out?

Vikram lander will touch down near the Lunar South Pole at 1:55 am IST on 7 September. The rover Pragyan will be rolled out on the lunar surface by 5:55 am IST the same day. The Pragyan rover will be deployed from the lander using a ramp.

Is there a backup landing site?

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has a backup site for landing, if the need be, selected, at 67.7 degrees south latitude and 18.4 degrees west longitude.

When will first pictures from Moon be sent?

ISRO said that the first pictures will be available about 5.5 hours after landing. These will be released by 7.30 am IST on 7 September.

How will Pragyan rover communicate?

The Pragyan rover will have no direct communication access to Earth or to the orbiter. It will communicate to the lander, which will relay the data to Earth. The commlink between the lander and the rover has a maximum range of 500 m. If Pragyan goes farther than 500 m from Vikram it will lose contact.

Where to watch Chandrayaan-2 landing?

ISRO will telecast the updates on its website, isro.gov.in. The same will stream on the Press Information Bureau (PIB)'s YouTube channel. National Geographic will also cover the launch. Chandrayaan-2 live telecast on the National Geographic Channel will start at 11.30 pm on Friday (September 6).

What are the compenents of Chandrayaan-2 mission and how much do they weigh?

Chandrayaan-2 comprises of three components -the Orbiter (weighing 2,379 kg), the lander Vikram (1,471 kg), and rover Pragyan (27 kg).

What is thaduration of Chandrayaan-2 mission?

The lander-Vikram will land near South Pole of the Moon on Sep 7, 2019. Subsequently, Rover will roll out and carry out experiments on Lunar surface for a period of 1 Lunar day which is equal to 14 Earth days. Orbiter will continue its mission for a duration of one year.