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After tasting success with low-budget Mars orbiter Mission (MoM), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is now embarking on a ₹1,000 crore Chandrayaan-2 — the Indian mission to land on the Moon.
“On July 15 morning at 2:51 AM, Chandrayaan-2 will take off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, and chart a course that will shed light on this unknown section of our closest satellite,” said K Sivan, Chairman ISRO.
He added, “After launch in mid-July, the Chandrayaan-2 is expected to travel for a month and a half for a soft-landing on September 6 or 7 on the south pole of the moon.”
Chandrayaan-2 is the most advanced mission compared with that of the previous Chandrayaan-1 mission, which was launched about 10 years ago. “Through this mission, we aim to expand on the findings of Chandrayaan-1; develop and demonstrate key capabilities such as soft landing and roving on the lunar surface; design and deploy the Vikram lander, capable of soft landing on a specified lunar site, and deploy the Pragyan rover to explore the moon’s surface,” explained Sivan.
Private sector participation
Later, unveiling the mission’s details, Sivan said, “This mission is completely an indigenous one with heavy private sector participation. The break-up of the mission’s cost is ₹603 crore for the spacecraft system and ₹375 crore for the launcher. Nearly 620 organisations (500 universities and 120 companies) have pitched in their tech-might and manpower.”
Chandrayaan-2 is reinvigorating the spirit of scientific curiosity in the country, said Sivan, and added, as a testament to the country’s scientific spirit, an overwhelming majority of Chandrayaan-2’s components are designed and fabricated by citizens and scientists across the length and breadth of India. This includes the Pragyan rover’s traction control and motor dynamic systems — essential to the mission’s success.”
In this moon mission, he said, “Private sector has got 80 per cent of the spend; it contributed to the cost of the launcher (GSLV MK-3) and took on 60 per cent of the module work. This mission is not only ISRO’s project; the country’s scientific community and private sector have got involved.”
Laser from NASA
Only foreign contribution for this mission is from NASA. According to Sivan “NASA has given us a laser, which can measure the distance from the earth to the landing site. It is being carried free of cost.”
Spelling out how a moon mission benefits the common man, Sivan explained, “It will foster a new age of discovery, increase our understanding of space, promote more global alliances, stimulate the advancement of technology and grow commercial opportunities in India and inspire future generations.”
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