Welcome to Moneycontrol’s LIVE coverage of the Chandrayaan 2 launch. India’s space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch its second mission to the Moon. This live blog will bring you the latest updates of the lift off on board a GSLV Mark -III rocket and the developments from Sriharikota.
Chandrayaan 2’s launch will happen at 2.43 pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
The mission is being executed by the ISRO -- India’s state-owned space agency. ISRO has said the mission is a “promising test bed to demonstrate technologies required for deep-space missions”.
The launch was aborted less than an hour before it was supposed to lift off in the early hours of July 15, due to a “technical snag”. It was supposed to be attended by President Ram Nath Kovind.
According to reports, the mission had to be postponed after a drop in pressure was detected after helium was filled into the tank. This indicated a leak in the fuel tank.
On the eve of launch, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said all preparations were on and the glitch had been rectified.
If successful, India will become the fourth country to soft land on the moon, after the US, erstwhile Soviet Union and China.
Chandrayaan 2 will also become the second mission to land close to the Moon’s South Pole. China’s Chang’e 4 was the first to land in the region in January. It will also attempt deploy a rover in a high plain area between two craters -- Manzinus C and Simpelius N.
On July 18, ISRO confirmed the new date and timing for the highly-anticipated launch.
The programme was approved by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on September 18, 2008. It has been under planning and preparation since.
If the mission begins as planned, the lunar landing is expected to happen around September 13.
Scientific experiments will continue on the lunar surface for 14 Earth days (one lunar day). The orbital experiment will happen for about one year.
As of June, the mission had been allocated Rs 978 crore (approximately $142 million).
Former Minister of External AffairsSushma Swaraj: I salute ISROscientists for making India a space super power by successfully launching Chandrayaan 2. I wish the mission a grand success.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah:
I congratulate our scientists at ISROfor the successful launch of Chandrayaan 2 and setting yet another benchmark in the field of space technology. A grateful nation is proud of them. I also thank PM Modi ji for encouraging our institutions for setting new standards every time.
Union Minister of Railways and Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal tweeted:
Many congratulations toISROand its women-led team that made the ambitious moon mission Chandrayaan2 launch a reality, bringing India closer to become the fourth country in the world to soft-land a spacecraft on the lunar surface.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh:
Congratulations to ISRO scientists on flawless launching of Chandrayaan 2. Team ISRO scripted a new chapter in India’s space history with launch of this ambitious and indigenous mission to Moon. Nation is extremely proud of its scientists and Team ISRO.
In another tweet, President Kovind has said: Chandrayaan 2 will be the first spacecraft to land close to the Moon’s South Pole in some 50 days from now. The mission is expected to lead to new discoveries and enrich our knowledge systems. I wish the Chandrayaan 2 team every success.
President Ram Nath Kovind has tweeted: The historic launch of Chandrayaan 2 from Sriharikota is a proud moment for all Indians. Congratulations to our scientists and engineers for furthering India's indigenous space programme. May ISRO continue to master new technologies, and continue to conquer new frontiers.
In another tweet, PMNarendraModihas said:Efforts such as Chandrayaan 2 will further encourage our bright youngsters towards science, top quality research and innovation.Thanks to Chandrayaan, India’s lunarprogrammewill get a substantial boost. Our existing knowledge of the Moon will be significantly enhanced.
Announcing Chandrayaan 2’s successful lift off, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said, “I am extremely happy to announce that the GSLV MkIII-M1 rocket has successfully injected Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft into Earth’s orbit. It is the beginning of a historic journey for India towards Moon and to land at a place near the South Pole, to carry out scientific experiments.”
ISRO’s K Sivan: Chandrayaan 2 is a three-satellite mission stacked in a single launch mission. It is my duty to salute all the people who made this possible. Our task is not over.
K Sivan on technical snag witnessed last week: ISRO has bounced back with flying colours.
ISRO’s K Sivan: After the technical glitch noticed last week, ISROscientists swung into action and corrected it within 24 hours. Tests were conducted in the next one and a half days.
ISRO’s K Sivan: The satellite is giving good signals.
ISRO Chairman K Sivan is now speaking at the mission command centre. He has announced that the GSLV Mk-III rockethas successfully inserted Chandrayaan 2 into orbit.
The key payload has separated from the GSLV Mk-III rocket.
A Cryogenic rocket is more efficient and provides more thrust for every kilogram of propellant it burns compared to solid and earth-storable liquid propellant rocket stages.
This assumes significance as Russia had withdrawn co-operation on the cryogenic post India's nuclear test in Pokharan in May 1998 on pressure from the United States.
In this picture:
Downward view of Earth from on boardChandrayaan 2 (Image: Twitter/PIB)
About 10 minutes since the launch, all parameters continue to be normal.
The cryogenic stage of the rocket has ignited. This was met with a huge applause at the ISRO command centre.
Heat shield of the rocket has successfully separated.
All parameters seem to be normal so far.
Chandrayaan 2 has lift off from Sriharikota
Chandrayaan 2 will travel to the Moon over the next 48 days. The mission is expected to culminate in September with the lander ‘Vikram’ making a soft landing and rover ‘Pragyan’ conducting scientific experiments on the lunar surface.
If successful, India will become the fourth country to make a soft landing on the Moon. ISRO will become the fourth space agency to do so. This is the first time such a mission is being attempted close to Moon’s South Pole.
JUST IN:
Chandrayaan 2 has lift off on board ISRO’s GSLV Mk-III rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, taking a “billion dreams to the Moon”.
T-minus 5 minutes until Chandrayaan 2’s launch
The Mission Director has already authorised Chandrayaan 2’s launch. ISRO scientists are now running final checks before the lift off at 2.43 pm.
T-minus 10 minutes until Chandrayaan 2’s launch. The launch has been authorised.
The mission director has authorised Chandrayaan 2’s launch. T-minus17 minutes until Chandrayaan 2’s launch.
Chandrayaan 2 launch live updates:
T-minus 19minutes until Chandrayaan 2’s launch
Chandrayaan 2 launch live updates:
T-minus 30 minutes until Chandrayaan 2’s launch
Trivia:
Historically, a total of 38 soft landing attempts have been made by various space agencies. This is ISRO’s first attempt. The success rate is 52 percent.
ISRO Chairman K Sivan has told NDTV that they are "doubly confident" that Chandrayaan 2 will launch this time.
The launch will be witnessed by thousands of people who will be accommodated at a viewing gallery, located a few kilometres from the launch pad in Sriharikota, thrown open to the public by the ISRO earlier this year.
Chandrayaan 2 launch live updates |
Over the next two months, the 3,850 kg Chandrayaan-2, will undergo 15 crucial manoeuvres before landing on the Moon, ISRO chairman Dr K Sivan has said.
Chandrayaan 2 launch live updates:
T-minus 56 minutes until Chandrayaan 2’s launch. It was at this stage on July 15 that the launch had been aborted.
Chandrayaan 2 launch live updates |
T-minus60 minutes to go for Chandrayaan 2's launch.
Chandrayaan 2 launch live updates |
ISRO has said that the filling of liquid hydrogen in Cryogenic Stage of GSLV MkIII-M1 has completed.
Phase 4 – Rover:
Upon landing, Vikram will deploy a rover named 'Pragyan'. It will be operated on solar power. The artificial intelligence (AI)-powered rover has six wheels and can traversing 500 meters at the rate of one centimetre per second.
It has the capability of conducting on-site chemical analysis and sending the data back to the lander. The lander will in turn send it to ISRO.
The rover will be controlled by an on-ground team. For assistance, the rover has been fitted with stereoscopic camera-based 3D vision.
Phase 3 - Lander:
The lander has been named 'Vikram' after Vikram Sarabhai. Sarabhai is widely regarded as the father of the Indian space programme.
Once deployed from the orbiter, the lander will slowly descend to a lower lunar orbit. At this point, it will perform check of all on board systems before attempting to land. The lander will then attempt a soft landing.
The landing process will be driven by Vikram’s propulsion system that of eight thrusters for attitude control and five liquid main engines. It will be able to land on surface with slope of up to 12 degrees.
Phase 2 - Lunar orbit:
The Chandrayaan 2 orbiter will cycle around the Moon at an approximate altitude of 100 kms.
The Orbiter High Resolution Camera (OHRC) will perform high-resolution observations of the landing site before the lander is deployed.
Less than 1 hour, 30 minutes to go for Chandrayaan 2’s launch.
Phase 1 - Launch:
The mission involves four phases -- launch, orbiting, landing and roving.
Chandrayaan 2 will be launched on board the tried-and-tested Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III). It will have a staggering lift-off mass of 3,877 kilograms.
The first phase would include placing Chandrayaan 2 in Earth’s parking orbit. This will be followed by orbit-raising operations before being slung into a trans-lunar injection. The final injection will be done with its own power.
What India is spending on Chandrayaan 2, as compared to the budget of some popular Hollywood movies:
Read | Chandrayaan 2: 15 crucial minutes and the commercial possibilities it opens
“Unlike national pride that powered the first wave of space race, mercantile interests now spur space farers. Monetising access to space and space-based services and resources is the name of the game,” science writer Prakash Chandra writes for Moneycontrol.
With just two hours until the launch, ISRO has said that filling of liquid oxygen in Cryogenic Stage of GSLV MkIII-M1 has completed. Filling of liquid hydrogen is in progress.
T-minus 2 hours until Chandrayaan 2’s launch.
Why was the southern polar region chosen for landing?
The space agency has said that Moon’s South Pole is interesting because the surface area under shadow there is much larger than that at the North Pole. “There is a possibility of the presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around it. In addition, South Pole region has craters that are cold traps and contain a fossil record of the early Solar System,” the agency has said.
Chandrayaan 2: Mission payloads (Image: PIB)
QUICK READ about Chandrayaan 2’s launch: Taking billion dreams to Moon, India's second lunar mission to launch today
Chandrayaan 2 launch live updates | Objectives
Chandrayaan 2’s basic objectives are to demonstrate the ability have a soft landing on the lunar surface and operate a robotic rover there.
Speaking to the media earlier, ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan had described the landing process as "15 terrifying minutes".
On the scientific side, the aim is to study Moon’s topography, mineralogy, exosphere and hydroxyl signatures and water ice.
The orbiter will create 3D maps of the lunar surface and study the water ice in the polar region.
Chandrayaan 2 launch live updates | Mission
The programme was approved by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on September 18, 2008. It has been under planning and preparation since.
If the mission begins as planned, the lunar landing isexpected to happenaround September 13.
Scientific experiments will continue on the lunar surface for 14 Earth days (one lunar day). The orbital experiment will happen for about one year.
As of June, the mission had been allocated Rs 978 crore (approximately $142 million).
ISRO has been tweeting about completion of various processes since yesterday when the countdown officially started.
In its latest update ISRO has said that filling of liquid hydrogen for the Cryogenic Stage of the GSLV MkIII-M1 rocket launch has started.
