Isro's Vikram, Pragyan to make history tonight

Landing softly on the moon is a complex task. Only 37% of such attempts have been successful, but these statistics are deceptive. With the exception of the crash of the Israeli mission Beresheet early this year, all the failures have been before 1976.

1. Descent of the lander begins at 1:40 am at a velocity of 1.6 km per second.

2. A second later, the lander’s engines are switched on to reduce its velocity.

3. As the lander slows and approaches the moon, it turns to align itself with the lunar surface.

4. The lander transmits the first pictures as it turns towards the moon. The orbiter, hovering 100 km above the moon’s surface, will shift to take pictures of the landing.

5. The computer on board the lander scans the moon for a flat surface and makes adjustments in trajectory.

6. The lander’s thrusters are shut off to prevent dust rising from the moon’s surface.

7. The lander touches down at 1:55 am. At this time, its velocity is down to about zero.

The lander will touchdown at 71° south of the equator and 22.8° east, between the craters Manzinus C and Simpelius N.

In pic: A view of the first Moon image captured by Chandrayaan 2, taken at a height of about 2650 km from Lunar surface.

3:55 AM: A ramp extends from the lander.

5:05 AM: The rover’s solar panels are deployed.

5:45 AM: The rover starts to exit the lander.

5:55 AM: The rover touches down on moon’s surface.

7:25 AM: The first clear pictures start coming from the rover.