7 Reasons How ISRO's Chandrayaan-2 Mission Will Make India Proud
After a number of delays, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is finally set to launch its second moon mission, Chandrayaan-2. The rocket will take of on July 15 at 2:51 am from the Sriharikota launchpad, in India¡¯s biggest mission yet.
After a number of delays, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is finally set to launch its second moon mission, Chandrayaan-2.
The rocket will take of on July 15 at 2:51 am from the Sriharikota launchpad, in one of India's biggest missions yet.
India's second trip to the Moon
Chandrayaan-2 is an advanced version of our first Moon mission, launched 10 years ago. And it was the Chandrayaan-1 that first showed us concrete evidence of liquid water on Mars.
Out into the unknown
Once the Chandrayaan-2 reaches lunar orbit, the Vikram lander will be deployed to the surface. There, ISRO will make the country's first-ever attempt to land a rover on the Moon. We'll also be trying to put down near the unexplored South Pole.
A hefty payload
The Chandrayaan-2 mission will carry 13 scientific satellites onboard the GSLV Mk III rocket and will weigh about 3.8 tonnes. That's about the equivalent of eight elephants according to ISRO chairman K Sivan.
Helping out NASA
The US space agency will be hitching a ride aboard the launch too. The mission is carrying a carry laser retroreflector array for NASA. This is an advanced mirror system of sorts that will let the space agency exactly measure the distance between the Earth and Moon
The work we do
When we get there, ISRO's six-wheeled rover will study the crust for traces of water and helium-3. Incredibly important to develop fusion energy, we'll be surveying the land for deposits of it, in order to prepare for future human colonization, or to ship it to Earth.
A tiny budget
As usual, ISRO is working with a barebones budget on the Chandrayan-2 mission. These guys are fitting an entire Moon landing into just Rs 1,000 crore. Consider that, during the Apollo Missions in 1969, NASA spent about Rs 2,620 crore on a single Saturn V rocket launch. Now, that would be the equivalent of a few billion dollars.
Who run the world?
For the first time in the history of ISRO, two women -- Ritu Kridhal and M Vanitha -- are leading as project and mission directors respectively. Additionally, 30 percent of the mission scientists for Chandrayaan-2 are women.