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“Chandrayaan-2 will be the first spacecraft to land on the moon’s south polar region. The technical difficulties of landing on the south pole have deterred many in the past,” said K Sivan, Chairman ISRO.
“This is the first mission to land on this part of the lunar surface, taking the Indian tri-colour to where no human has been before,” he added.
Talking about scientific experiments on the moon, Sivan said, “The mission will help scientists take a closer look at the moon’s surface. The Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter, lander and rover will carry 14 scientific payloads, including laser-induced breakdown spectroscopes and -ray monitors, which will help us understand the moon’s composition and scientific activities better.”
Advanced propulsion systems
ISRO’s mission will be country’s first ‘soft landing’ on the Moon. Sivan said the lander aboard Chandrayaan-2 — named Vikram after Dr Vikaram Sarabhai, the father of India’s space programme — will use advanced propulsion systems to attempt India’s first soft landing on the moon.”
On the total weight of the launcher, Sivan said, “The GSLV MK-3, which will launch Chandrayaan-2, weighs a staggering 640 tonnes with complete payload. That’s almost as heavy as 640 mid-size hatchback cars stacked on top of each other.”
The challenges of landing on the moon, Sivan said, included “navigating large distances accurately, conducting trans-lunar injection, preventing damage due to lunar dust, and accomplishing the first soft landing on the moon’s south polar region.”
Studies on water
“Evidence for water discovered by Chandrayaan-1 demands more focused studies on the extent of water on the surface, below the surface and in the tenuous lunar exosphere, to address the origin of water on the moon,” said Sivan.
According to Chairman ISRO, Chandrayaan-2 has several scientific payloads in its orbiter, lander and rover to expand the lunar scientific knowledge on these aspects, through a detailed study of lunar topography, seismography, mineral identification and distribution, surface chemical composition, thermo-physical characteristics of top soil and the composition of the tenuous lunar atmosphere.”
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