Space

India launches Chandrayaan-2 lunar landing mission

India launches Chandrayaan-2 lunar landing mission
Chandrayaan-2 lifting off
Chandrayaan-2 lifting off
View 19 Images
Chandrayaan-2 on the launch pad
1/19
Chandrayaan-2 on the launch pad
Chandrayaan-2 stacked with orbiter
2/19
Chandrayaan-2 stacked with orbiter
Stacking Chandrayaan-2
3/19
Stacking Chandrayaan-2
Chandrayaan-2 before launch with ramp deployed
4/19
Chandrayaan-2 before launch with ramp deployed
Chandrayaan-2 being moved
5/19
Chandrayaan-2 being moved
Chandrayaan-2 orbiter module
6/19
Chandrayaan-2 orbiter module
Chandrayaan-2 leaving the vehicle assembly building
7/19
Chandrayaan-2 leaving the vehicle assembly building
Chandrayaan-2 in the vehicle assembly building
8/19
Chandrayaan-2 in the vehicle assembly building
Chandrayaan-2 upper stage
9/19
Chandrayaan-2 upper stage
Chandrayaan-2 first stage
10/19
Chandrayaan-2 first stage
Assembling the booster
11/19
Assembling the booster
One of the solid rocket boosters
12/19
One of the solid rocket boosters
Rocket motor module being installed
13/19
Rocket motor module being installed
Chandrayaan-2 and lander
14/19
Chandrayaan-2 and lander
Diagram of Chandrayaan-2 and orbiter
15/19
Diagram of Chandrayaan-2 and orbiter
Chandrayaan-2 lifting off
16/19
Chandrayaan-2 lifting off
The original launch was delayed due to a malfunction
17/19
The original launch was delayed due to a malfunction
Chandrayaan-2 awaiting launch
18/19
Chandrayaan-2 awaiting launch
The orbiter used to place Chandrayaan-2 in its proper trajectory
19/19
The orbiter used to place Chandrayaan-2 in its proper trajectory
View gallery - 19 images

India's first lunar landing mission, Chandrayaan-2, lifted off at 2:43 pm IST on July 22 (July 21, 21:13 GMT) atop a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) MkIII-M1 rocket from the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota, India.

This week's launch of India's second lunar mission comes eight days after Chandrayaan-2's original lift-off date, which was scrubbed due to a rocket malfunction. Consisting of a lunar Orbiter module and the Vikram lander, the spacecraft is currently in a temporary Earth orbit of between 169.7 km (105 mi) and 45,475 km (28,260 mi) in altitude.

According to ISRO, the spacecraft is scheduled to carry out a series of engine maneuvers that will place it into a translunar orbit and is expected to arrive at the Moon on September 7. The Orbiter will then make course corrections to place the craft into a circular orbit at an altitude of 100 km (62 mi) above the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-2 stacked with orbiter
Chandrayaan-2 stacked with orbiter

Once on station, Vikram will undock and carry out a series of rocket braking maneuvers that will place it on a trajectory for a soft landing between the craters Manzinus C and Simpelius N at 70° S latitude near the lunar south pole. If all goes well, the lander will then lower a ramp and deploy the Pragyan rover, which will explore the immediate area for 14 Earth days.

Due to Vikram and Pragyan being solar powered, neither is expected to survive the cold lunar night, but the Orbiter will continue to make observations for one year.

Source: ISRO

View gallery - 19 images
2 comments
2 comments
TomLeeM
I think that is really neat. Since there will be more than one country going to space, one group could help another if something happens.
RoggieMac
great that they can get to the moon ,but they cannot give their people clean water ??
"India is reeling under a sustained water crisis that shows no signs of abating. There is not a single Indian city that can provide potable water from its taps. In fact, a 2018 report from global advocacy group WaterAid put India at the top of its list of countries with the worst access to clean water close to homes—163 million Indians live this way."
https://time.com/5302661/water-crisis-drinking-india-drought-dry/