On July 15th 2:30 AM, ISRO is going to make a new history in science and space exploration. The most ambitious and much-awaited space mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to be launched on 15th July 02:30 AM IST onwards. It will be live streamed from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) or Sriharikota Range (SHAR), the live stream will be available on ISRO website, Doordarshan, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
The lunar mission called Chandrayaan 2 is the 2nd Moon probe mission by the Indian space agency ISRO. The very first lunar probe mission of ISRO, the Chandrayaan 1 was announced by the ex-Prime Minister of India Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee during his Independence Day speech on 15 August 2003. Chandryan 1 launched on 22 October 2008 after 5 years of its official announcement by the Indian Government. Chandryan or Chandrayaan 1 was operational until August 2009.
Chandrayaan 2 is planned to be launched to the Moon by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III) the most powerful launcher of India to date, it includes a lunar orbiter, lander called Vikram and rover called Pragyan, all developed indigenously. The Chandrayaan 2 mission has also expected to carry a passive experiment from the world’s biggest space agency NASA. It has been developed at a fraction of the cost at which other space agencies have developed their respective space missions.
Impact of the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) on the Lunar Surface:
Moon Impact Probe (MIP) carried by Chandrayaan orbiter was deliberate crash-landed on the Moon’s south pole that makes India the fourth country to touch the Moon’s surface. The impact of the Moon Impact Probe was very important for the ISRO scientist not only for the Chandryan 1 mission but also for the follow-up mission Chandrayaan 2.
On 14 November 2008, MIP separated from Chandrayaan-1 at 100 km from the lunar surface and began its free fall for thirty minutes. As Moon Impact Probe fell, it kept sending information back to the mother satellite which, in turn, beamed the information back to Earth. The altimeter then also began recording measurements to prepare for a rover to land on the lunar surface during a next Moon mission Chandrayaan 2.
India was the 4th country to touch the Moon surface but India’s ISRO had done what big space agencies have never done. After Indian scientists analysed the scientific data received by the Moon Impact Probe (MIP), the Indian Space Research Organisation confirmed the presence of water in the lunar soil. India’s Space Research Organisation ISRO was the first space agency to confirm the presence of water on the lunar surface by its maiden Moon Mission which succeeded in the first attempt.
Launch of the lunar mission Chandrayaan 2 is the 2nd Moon probe mission by the ISRO and by this mission, India will again create a new history by doing what other countries has not done yet. Chandrayaan 2 will explore the Moon’s south polar region which is completely unexplored.
Why Explore the Lunar South Pole?
ISRO mentioned on its website, “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, the South Pole region has craters that are cold traps and contain a fossil record of the early Solar System.”
Chandrayaan 2, the Rs 1,000 Crore mission will be the first space mission to conduct soft landing of a lander and rover in a high plain between two craters, Manzinus C and Simpelius N, on Moon’s south polar region.
The wheeled rover called Pragyan carried by the Chandrayaan 2 will move on the lunar surface and will perform on-site chemical analysis. It can relay data to Earth through the Chandrayaan 2 orbiter and lander Vikram, which will fly on the same launch. The Chandrayaan 2 mission will also make India the 4th country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, after the space agencies of the USA, USSR, and China.
This would be a proud and prestigious moment for ISRO and India, Chandrayaan 2 will boost the Indian space and research studies not only for the agencies but for humanity.
“All preparations for Chandrayaan-2 are going on for the launch scheduled at 2.51 am on July 15 from Sriharikota,” K Sivan (Chairperson, ISRO) said after offering prayers at the Lord Venkateswara hill shrine at Tirumala near Tirupati.
