Chandrayaan-2 set for launch on July 15: ISRO

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Chandrayaan-2, the most complex mission yet for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), will be launched on July 15 at 2:51 hours.  The total cost of the mission is close Rs 1,000 crore, including Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft and the GSLV launch vehicle.

Close to 620 companies have worked together to make the aircraft and launch vehicle.

This is also the first time an Indian space mission has two women -- Ritu Kridhal and M Vanitha -- leading the team as the project and mission director, respectively.

The mission has three parts - an orbiter, lander and rover. After travelling for 3.84 lakh kilometres it will reach the Moon’s orbit on September 6 or 7, 2019.

While the lander and rover will be on the Moon’s surface for 15 days, or one lunar day, after landing, the orbiter will revolve around the moon for a year.

Speaking to media persons in Bengaluru, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said, “This is the most challenging mission for ISRO, where we are trying for a soft launch of the lander in the Moon’s South Pole.”

Challenging because of the complexities involved in soft landing for the very first time. “The 15 minutes it takes for the lander to land on the Moon’s surface is the most terrifying part since it’s a mission ISRO has never undertaken,” Sivan said.

Also, this is the first time a mission is being launched in the South Pole of the Moon. “There are two reasons for choosing the South Pole,” Sivan said. “It’s for convenience and science,” he added.

Sivan explained that the entire ecosystem would need solar energy to function and need more visibility that the South Pole offers. In addition, the region is also easier to land as it has fewer craters and smaller slopes.

As far as the science part is concerned, the South Pole is expected to have more water and minerals.

The mission aims to learn more about water on surface of the moon, which Chandrayaan -1 discovered and minerals that might lend a better understanding of the earth’s satellite.

In addition, the mission will also carry NASA’s refroreflectometer to measure the distance between the moon and earth.