Chandrayaan 2 is on a mission unlike any before. Leveraging nearly a decade of scientific research and engineering development, India's second lunar expedition will shed light on a completely unexplored section of the Moon — its South Polar region. This mission will help us gain a better understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon by conducting detailed topographical studies, comprehensive mineralogical analyses, and a host of other experiments on the lunar surface. While there, we will also explore discoveries made by Chandrayaan 1, such as the presence of water molecules on the Moon and new rock types with unique chemical composition. Through this mission, we aim to:
Expand India's footprint in space
Inspire a future generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers
Surpass international aspirations
Chandrayaan - 2 launch scheduled on 15th July 2019 at 2:51hrs was called off due to a technical snag noticed at around one hour before launch. The launch is now rescheduled on July 22, 2019, at 14:43 hrs IST from Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota onboard GSLV Mk-III. It will be injected into an earth parking 170 x 39120 km orbit. A series of manoeuvres will be carried out to raise its orbit and put Chandrayaan-2 on Lunar Transfer Trajectory. On entering Moon's sphere of influence, on-board thrusters will slow down the spacecraft for Lunar Capture. The Orbit of Chandrayaan-2 around the moon will be circularized to 100x100 km orbit through a series of orbital manoeuvres. On the day of landing, the lander will separate from the Orbiter and then perform a series of complex manoeuvres comprising of rough braking and fine braking. Imaging of the landing site region prior to landing will be done for finding safe and hazard-free zones. The lander-Vikram will finally land near the South Pole of the moon on Sep 7, 2019. Subsequently, Rover will roll out and carry out experiments on Lunar surface for a period of 1 Lunar day which is equal to 14 Earth days. The orbiter will continue its mission for a duration of one year.
Science experiments
Chandrayaan-2 has several science payloads to expand the lunar scientific knowledge through the detailed study of topography, seismography, mineral identification and distribution, surface chemical composition, thermo-physical characteristics of topsoil and composition of the tenuous lunar atmosphere, leading to a new understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon.
The Orbiter payloads will conduct remote-sensing observations from a 100 km orbit while the Lander and Rover payloads will perform in-situ measurements near the landing site.
For an understanding of the Lunar composition, it is planned to identify the elements and mapping its distribution on the lunar surface both at global and In-situ level. In addition detailed 3-dimensional mapping of the lunar regolith will be done. Measurements on the near-surface plasma environment and electron density in the Lunar ionosphere will be studied. Thermo-physical property of the lunar surface and seismic activities will also be measured. Water molecule distribution will be studied using infra red spectroscopy, synthetic aperture radiometry & polarimetry as well as mass spectroscopy techniques.
Key payloads
Chandrayaan 2 Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer
Elemental composition of the Moon
Imaging IR Spectrometer
Mineralogy mapping and water-ice confirmation
Synthetic Aperture Radar L & S Band
Polar-region mapping and sub-surface water-ice confirmation
Orbiter High-Resolution Camera
High-resolution topography mapping
Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment
Thermal conductivity and temperature gradient
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer and Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope
In-situ elemental analysis and abundance in the vicinity of landing site
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