Chandrayaan-2: Know about India's first lunar landing mission

New Delhi: Days before the 50^th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s first steps on Moon on July 20, 1969, India will launch Chandrayaan-2, the nation’s first lunar landing mission.

"We are going near the South Pole because it is a different place than what has been done earlier. You can expect to find something different only when you look at newer places," former ISRO Chairman AS Kiran Kumar told NDTV.

About Chandrayaan-2

• Chandrayaan-2 consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover together referred to as “composite body”.
• It will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on-board GSLV Mk-III on July 15, 2019.
• Chandrayaan-2 will be injected into an Earth parking orbit. A series of manoeuvres will raise its orbit and put it on lunar transfer trajectory. On entering the Moon’s sphere of influence, thrusters will slow it down for lunar capture.
• The orbit of Chandrayaan-2 around the Moon will be circularised to 100km orbit through a series of complex orbital manoeuvres with the help of thrusters.
• On the day of landing, the lander – Vikram – will separate from the orbiter and then perform a series of manoeuvres comprising of ‘rough’ and ‘fine’ braking.
• Imaging of the landing site region prior to landing will be conducted to find hazard-free and safe landing zones.
• Vikram will finally land near the Moon’s South Pole on September 6 or 7, 2019. Subsequently, the rover – Pragyan – will roll out and carry out experiments on lunar surface for one lunar day (or 14 Earth days).
• Orbiter will continue its mission for the duration of one year.

The objectives of this project is to study and map the lunar terrain, mineralogical analysis of rocks and soil, study the lunar ionosphere and measuring moon-quakes and studying the lunar crust and mantle.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to send a manned mission into orbit by 2022.