India is all set for its second date with the moon. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing for to launch the country’s second lunar exploration mission, Chandrayaan-2 on July 22 at 2.43 pm. (Image: isro.gov.in)
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The mission will be launched by the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. (Image: isro.gov.in)
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The total cost of the mission is approximately Rs 1,000 crore, which includes the cost of the spacecraft and the launch vehicle. (Image: isro.gov.in)
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This is the first time that two women -- Ritu Kridhal and M Vanitha -- are part of an Indian space mission, leading the team as project and mission directors, respectively. (Image: isro.gov.in)
With three parts -- an orbiter, a lander and a rover -- the mission will travel for 3.84 lakh km before entering the Moon’s orbit in the first week of September. (Image: isro.gov.in)
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As opposed to the lander and rover, which will remain on the Moon’s surface for a lunar day (15 days), the orbiter will revolve around the Moon for a year. (Image: isro.gov.in)
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The lander has been named ‘Vikram,’ after Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme, while the rover has been named ‘Pragyan.’ The lander will attempt a soft landing in a high plain between two craters -- Manzinus C and Simpelius N -- near the South Pole of the Moon on September 6. (Image: isro.gov.in)
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The mission, if successful, will make India the fourth nation to have orchestrated a soft landing on the lunar surface. (Image: isro.gov.in)
