Emanated to history was something so exhilarating than mankind could ever expect. When the sun and moon became a part of science, breaching out from religious delusions, we never thought of exploring them to throw away the misbeliefs and to deal with them in-depth. Just a common introduction whenever we deal with some facts that were once some superstitious convictions. And that’s not our point of discussion right now. Shall I spot an event that sprouted the desire of our people a few years back, Not so back but a few.
Nature through her fantastic artworks gave a new day to its beings.But the world woke up to hear something extremely astonishing.
22nd October 2008 was not just a day in that leap year, for India and its people it was a hope and sacrifice for those who aimed at something more than their expectations. The first Indian Lunar Probe, CHANDRAYAAN 1 took its journey from earth to the orbits of the moon, with which it carried the prestige and power of India. When ISRO witnessed its triumph in its first mission, we never thought nor imagined that we could aim at going far beyond, where no one has ever gone before. And the time has arrived. The time to prove India’s potential and strength to discover the undiscovered.
Yes, it’s time for the world to be spectators of India’s 2nd major lunar exploration, the CHANDRAYAAN 2. The lunar mission developed by ISRO, planned to be launched on 14th July 2019 UST 21:21 ( 15th July 2019, IST 02:51). This will be a milestone towards India’s space explorations in future. A successful landing on the lunar surface will make India the 4th among the major countries that achieved a smooth landing on the surface of the moon. India will then be placed with the US, USSR and CHINA to be ranked as one of the space expedition giants of the world.
Chandrayaan 2 mission has travelled a long journey towards its point of launching. Its origin till where it actually has reached seems to be a jaunt. Not just history, but it is the sweat and effort of all the hands behind it.
After the first lunar mission, ISRO along with the representatives of the Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOMOS), signed an agreement to work together for the 2nd lunar project.ISRO took the responsibility of the orbiter and rover and the ROSCOMOS was to provide the lander. The Union Cabinet meeting held on 8th September 2008, chaired by the Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh approved the lunar mission and by August 2009 the design of the spacecraft was completed. The then efforts of ISRO provided orbiter and rover per scheduled but ROSCOMOS failed to develop the lander on time. This led to the rescheduling of the plan from January 2013 to 2016. Further after years, Russia cited its inability to produce the lander even by 2015. And this made India to take the decision that it will develop the lunar mission independently. This was the determination Indians gave to prove their potential.
Later the spacecraft launch was planned to March 2015, delayed to April, then to October to test further tests on the vehicle. After the 4th Comprehensive Technical Review meeting on 19th June, there were a number of changes in the configuration, and landing sequence was planned for implementation. This pushed the launch to the first half of 2019. Then the mission had to face some problems regarding the lander’s legs. Two of it got minor damages in the test held in February 2019. And again the plan was rescheduled to the present July 14, for which mankind is eagerly waiting. And we hope that this history of Chandrayaan 2 will be a victory.
Chandrayaan 2 is expected to land on the surface of the moon on 6th September 2019. The main objective behind the 2nd lunar mission is to demonstrate the ability to soft-land a lander and rover in a high plain between 2 craters Manzinus C and Simpelius N at a latitude of about 70 degrees south. It aims to study the craters on the south pole that is expected to be the remnants of the formation of the moon. If discovered, it will be a major leap towards unravelling the mysteries of the origin of the moon. Apart from this, Chandrayaan 2 also aims at achieving some scientific goals like mineralogy, elementary abundance, lunar exosphere, presence of hydroxyl and water ice and lunar topographical studies. Onboard radar present in it will help to map the surface to study water ice in the south pole region and also the thickness of lunar regolith(lunar soil).
ISRO selected 5 scientific instruments for the orbiter,4 for the lander, and 2 for the rover in its mission. In the beginning, NASA and ESA also gave expressed their interest to participate in the mission. But in 2010, ISRO clearly said that due to weight restrictions, Chandrayaan 2 will not be carrying any foreign payloads. However, it is said that a smaller retroreflector from NASA was added to the lander payload to help scientists measure the exact distance to the moon.
Chandrayaan 2 mission with a lift mass of 3877kg, will have Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark lll ( GSLV MARK lll) as its launcher, the heaviest rocket ever built by India. The lunar orbiter, Space Cadet will map the lunar surface for at least a year from an orbit of 100km. Cadet also succours in relaying the rover’s findings. Vikram, the lunar lander execute the soft landing on the surface. The name Vikram was given after the Father of Indian Space, Vikram Sarabhai. Lunar rover named Pragyan has 6 wheels to travel and moves at a speed of 1 centimetre per second, consuming solar energy to power it. The launch will take place at Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota.
We had so far been apprised of powerful reliable rockets that consume a large number of resources and also takes away much of human hours to reach. But as of June 2019, the cost of this mission is only about 978 crores, much lower than expected by other national agencies. India thus aimed at a mission that uses limited resources, limited budget and less cooperation from the world than any other space agencies. All these sows that it was not just a scientific exploration but os a step to India’s overall development in this sophisticated world.
And we are eagerly waiting for it, sticking around to see whether we shall prove that India won’t be just orbiting the moon but will land on it to explore the unravelled mysteries of the white giant. Let us hope that Chandrayaan 2 will indubitably be an achievement of India, of all the hands behind and of each and every Indian. Good luck with that !!!!
– Sreebala P S
Posted on shasthrasnehi FB page. Date: July 14, 2019
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