Chandrayaan 2
India’s second lunar exploration mission after Chandrayaan-1
Chandrayaan 2 is an Indian lunar mission that will boldly go where no country has ever gone before — the Moon’s south polar region. Through this effort, the aim is to improve our understanding of the Moon and discoveries that will benefit India and humanity as a whole. Chandrayaan 2 attempts to foster a new age of discovery, increase our understanding of space, stimulate the advancement of technology, promote global alliances, and inspire a future generation of explorers and scientists.
Why Moon ?
The Moon is the closest cosmic body at which space discovery can be attempted and documented. It is also a promising test bed to demonstrate technologies required for deep-space missions.
What are the scientific objectives of Chandrayaan 2?
Moon provides the best linkage to Earth’s early history. It offers an undisturbed historical record of the inner Solar system environment. Though there are a few mature models, the origin of Moon still needs further explanations. Extensive mapping of lunar surface to study variations in lunar surface composition is essential to trace back the origin and evolution of the Moon. Evidence for water molecules discovered by Chandrayaan-1, requires further studies on the extent of water molecule distribution on the surface, below the surface and in the tenuous lunar exosphere to address the origin of water on Moon.
Why explore the Lunar South Pole?
The lunar South Pole is especially interesting because of the lunar surface area here that remains in shadow is much larger than that at the North Pole. There is a possibility of the presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around it. In addition, South Pole region has craters that are cold traps and contain a fossil record of the early Solar System.
What makes Chandrayaan 2 special?
1st space mission to conduct a soft landing on the Moon’s south polar region.1st Indian expedition to attempt a soft landing on the lunar surface with home-grown technology.1st Indian mission to explore the lunar terrain with home-grown technology.4th country ever to soft land on the lunar surface.
Launcher and the Spacecraft Launcher
Launcher: The GSLV Mk-III is India’s most powerful launcher to date, and has been completely designed and fabricated from within the country.
Orbiter: The Orbiter will observe the lunar surface and relay communication between Earth and Chandrayaan 2’s Lander — Vikram.
Vikram Lander : The lander is designed to execute India’s first soft landing on the lunar surface.
Pragyan Rover:
The rover is a 6-wheeled, AI-powered vehicle named Pragyan, which translates to ‘wisdom’ in Sanskrit.
Timeline of the mission:
18th September, 2008
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approves the Chandrayaan2 lunar mission.
Mission Planning:
Launch Date : July 22, 2019
Landing on Moon : Sep 7, 2019
Scientific Experiment on Moon
1 Lunar day (14 earth days)
Orbital Experiment: Will be operational for 1 year.
Anjali Pandit ,
B.Sc. Biotech-II Year
(Biyani Girls College)
