In a sensational development, India’s next mission to the moon is expected to be launched in mid-July, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced in a press release on Wednesday.
In what will be the country’s second mission to script yet another history, ISRO has been in the grand scheme of things working intensely on the Chandrayaan-2 for over three years. The Indian space agency said it has concentrated on a launch window between July 9 and July 16, with a likely landing on the moon by September 6.
Indian Space Research Organisation said this mission includes- lander, an orbiter and a rover to become involved in experiments on the lunar surface. The ultimate objective is to land on the south pole of the moon.
It has been learnt that the launch will be on a GSLV Mk-III rocket into the outer earth orbit and that the lunar craft will be driven into the moon’s orbit by the orbiter, and it will soft land at a pre-determined site in proximity to the south pole of the moon. Following this, the rover will roll out of the lander and then carry out experiments.
Chandrayaan-1, a moon mission which was launched in 2008, turned out to be a big hit as it led to the discovery of water-ice particles on the Moon’s surface wherein the Moon Impact Probe jointly developed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) had done a rough landing on the moon’s surface.
Interestingly, Chandrayaan-1 also did a 3D mapping of the moon and captured high-resolution photos.
Chandrayaan-2 includes a wide range of scientific experiments to explore the Earth’s permanent natural satellite for the presence of minerals, and specifically Helium 3, an element which could be a main source of energy.
While the first moon mission included instruments from five other countries apart from India, Chandrayaan 2 will carry instruments from India alone.
