tech2 News StaffSep 07, 2019 00:07:30 IST
The Chandrayaan 2 mission to land an Indian lander and rover on the moon’s surface has been spectacularly successful launch since its launch on 22 July. As of 6 September, the spacecraft’s landing module (a composite of the lunar lander Vikram, and rover Pragyan) separated and entered independent orbits around the moon.
In the week leading up to the landing, ISRO carried out four successful in-orbit manoeuvres to bring the landing module closer it the moon’s surface for its powered descent and landing.
Date and time of Chandrayaan 2 landing
Date: 7 September 2019
Time: 1:55 am IST
An illustration of Vikram lander and Pragyan rover on lunar surface. Image: ISRO
If everything goes smoothly, the Vikram lander is scheduled to begin its descent at 1.40 am IST on 7 September. The propulsion system of the lander will play an important task here, breaking the velocity of the lander in a controlled fashion. The engines will be shut off well before the spacecraft touches the moon’s surface.
From the 30 km orbit the lander will use till the landing is a 15-minute window of “terror”. This 15-minute flight is one that ISRO has never attempted before, making Chandrayaan 2 the most complex mission ISRO has ever undertaken, in the view of ISRO’s Chairman Dr K Sivan.
In the final seconds before landing, the Vikram lander will be assisted only by the moon’s gravity and not the spacecraft’s thrusters. This move will help the lander avoid the mini-plume of lunar dust from covering the lander — and more importantly, its solar panels.
There are multiple sources to choose from to watch the landing live.
When & where to watch Chandrayaan 2 landing live
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To know more about the Chandrayaan 2 mission, head here.
To follow the Vikram lander do its soft-landing live, head here.
Here is a select group of stories on the mission we’d recommend:
Chandrayaan 2 LIVE Updates: First data from Pragyan rover will come 5.8 hours after landing
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
Find our entire collection of stories, in-depth analysis, live updates, videos & more on Chandrayaan 2 Moon Mission on our dedicated #Chandrayaan2TheMoon domain.
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