LIVE Updates from ISRO’s Chandrayaan 2 mission: India’s second unmanned mission to the Moon, named Chandrayaan 2, is all set to take off on 15 July, provided the weather conditions are ideal. The mission is expected to liftoff from a launchpad at SHAR, Sriharikota at 2.51 am IST.
After the success of Chandrayaan 1, the Mangalyaan mission to Mars and a host of other satellite launches since then, the expectations from Chandrayaan 2 are quite high.
An illustration of Chandrayaan 2 orbiter lander rover composite orbiting the Moon. Image courtesy: ISRO
If all goes to plan with the mission, in a first for India, ISRO will deposit a lander and rover on the surface of the Moon on 6 September 2019. The orbiter-lander-rover composite is expected to make a soft-landing on a previously unexplored region just 650 kilometres from the lunar South Pole. This will be the first time any mission touched down so far away from the equator.
One of the primary objectives is to demonstrate the ability to soft-land on the lunar surface. Among the mission’s other scientific objectives are experiments to map the Moon’s surface, its mineral and element content, moonquakes and signatures of water-ice on the lunar surface.
The mission will be streamed live on DD National‘s YouTube channel and tech2’s Youtube, Facebook and Twitter handles, made available 30 minutes before the launch window opens, at approximately 2.21 am IST on 15 July.
Here are a select group of stories on the mission we’d recommend reading:
Chandrayaan 2: Here are answers to all your questions on India’s second Moon mission
Chandrayaan 2 to hunt for trillion-dollar-worth Helium-3 on Moon’s surface
GSLV-MkIII, the launch platform that will make Chandrayaan-2 and Gaganyaan a reality
Chandrayaan 2 Orbiter: Everything you need to know about its objectives, science and design
How does ISRO’s GSLV Mk-III fare against some of the world’s most powerful rockets?
India plans to have a space station of its own by 2030: Here’s what we can expect
A brief history of every moonshot in the history of space exploration
As we follow the planned launch of India’s second mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-2 on 15 July, you can find our entire collection of stories, in-depth analysis, live updates, videos & more on our dedicated #Chandrayaan2TheMoon domain.
