New Delhi:
ISRO’s ambitious Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft today moved one step closer to the Moon. Yes, you read it right. The first de-orbiting Manoeuvre for Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was successfully performed today by the Indian space centre.
In a tweet, ISRO said, “The first de-orbit maneuver for #VikramLander of #Chandrayaan2 spacecraft was performed successfully today (September 03, 2019) at 0850 hrs IST.”
Also, in a statement, the Indian space agency centre said, “The first de-orbiting maneuver for Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was performed successfully today (September 03, 2019) beginning at 0850 hrs IST as planned, using the onboard propulsion system. The duration of the maneuver was 4 seconds.”
“The orbit of Vikram Lander is 104 km x 128 km. Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter continues to orbit the Moon in the existing orbit and both the Orbiter and Lander are healthy. The next de-orbiting maneuver is scheduled on September 04, 2019 between 0330 - 0430 hrs IST,” ISRO added.
Take a look:
#ISRO
— ISRO (@isro) September 3, 2019
The first de-orbit maneuver for #VikramLander of #Chandrayaan2 spacecraft was performed successfully today (September 03, 2019) at 0850 hrs IST.
For details please visit https://t.co/K5dS113UJL
Here's view of Control Centre at ISTRAC, Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/Ddeo2URPg5
Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was launched on July 22, 2019 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft weighs approximately 3290 kilograms and it was launched by the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk-III (or GSLV Mk) rocket.
Dubbed as ‘Baahubali’, the GSLV Mk-III rocket which stands 43 metres tall. In Chandrayaan-2, a total of 13 payloads are distributed across the three modules where the Orbiter and Vikram Lander are stacked upon each other whereas the Pragyan Rover is housed inside the lander.
The historic Chandrayaan-2 mission will target a completely unexplored section of the Moon that is, its “South Polar region - Aitken Basin”. By conducting topographical studies and mineralogical analyses alongside a few other experiments on the Moon’s Surface, the ISRO’s ambitious mission aimed to get a better understanding of the Moon’s origin and its evolution.
Importantly, if successful, the mission will make India the fourth country after Russia, the US and China to pull off a soft landing on the Moon. It is worth mentioning here that Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft is expected to land on Moon on September 7, 2019.
