ISRO - Chandrayaan-2 Mission logo.
August 20, 2019
The Indian spacecraft Chandrayaan-2 arrived Tuesday in lunar orbit after successfully completing one of the most delicate maneuvers of its historic mission to the moon.
Four weeks after launching Sriharikota's launch pad in south-east India, the spacecraft has successfully completed lunar orbiting, the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) said in a statement.
The insertion "was successfully completed today at 09H02 (03H32 GMT) as planned, using the on-board propulsion system," the space agency said.
Chandrayaan-2 using Earth gravity for orbiting the Moon
The uninhabited expedition, which began on July 22, aims to land a mobile lander and mobile robot near the South Pole of the Moon around September 7, some 384,000 km from the Earth, and to place a probe in lunar orbit.
If the mission were successful, India would become the fourth nation to successfully place a plane on Selenite soil, after the Soviet Union, the United States and China. An Israeli probe missed its moon landing in April and crashed.
The launcher was not powerful enough to reach the Moon directly, so the mission powered up using the force of gravity.
Chandrayaan-2 ("Lunar Trolley" in Hindi) circled the Earth for several weeks, gradually raising its orbit, to reach the lunar orbit.
Tuesday's operation was particularly dangerous, because if the probe approached the lunar orbit at too high a speed, the risk was that it would bounce back and get lost in space. But if her speed was insufficient, she risked being carried away by the gravity of the star and crashing into it.
Chandrayaan-2 orbiting the Moon
The robot named Pragyaan - "wisdom" in Sanskrit - must perform its task during a lunar day, the equivalent of fourteen Earth days. He will study the rocks and the ground of the lunar surface.
New Delhi spent 140 million dollars (124 million euros) on Chandrayaan-2 - much less than other major space agencies for missions of this type - which weighs a total of 3.8 tons.
The Moon has been relatively neglected by humans since the end of the American Apollo program in the 1970s, with large space agencies preferring to study and explore the solar system.
The Indian space program has been noted in recent years by combining ambition and budget sobriety, with operating costs well below those of other countries, as well as by its progression at no charge.
The Isro account by 2022 send a crew of three astronauts into space, which would be his first manned flight. Its scientists are also working on the development of its own space station, expected over the next decade.
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https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2019/07/gslv-mkiii-m1-successfully-launches.html
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https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2019/07/moon-mission-for-indian-probe.html
For more information about ISRO and Chandrayaan-2 mission, visit:
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO): https://www.isro.gov.in/
Chandrayaan-2 mission: https://www.isro.gov.in/chandrayaan2-home-0
Images, Text, Credits: ISRO/AFP/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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