A second Indian Space Agency’s probe was successfully sent to the Moon on July 22. The lander carried by the probe must perform a soft landing and then deploy a little rover.
Planned in 2008, ISRO’s lunar mission Chandrayaan 2 was particularly expected.
After a last launch deferral on July 15 at T-56 minutes, due to a supposed micro-leak of liquid hydrogen in cryogenic stage of GSLV Mk III launch vehicle. The lift-off was rescheduled for July 22 at 9:13 (UTC) from Sriharikota space center.
The probe was clearly set on a higher orbit than planned which will enable it to use less ergol to perform its orbital maneuvers.
Ambitious mission
Chandrayaan 2 is the second Indian mission toward the Moon, a decade after Chandrayaan 1 was set in orbit on November 4, 2008.
Chandrayaan 2 mission is even more ambitious as it includes an orbiter and a lander named Vikram which must deploy Pragyan rover.
The orbiter and its 8 instruments should operate for a year on a 100 km height circular orbit while the equipments present on the Moon surface (4 on board of the lander and 2 on Pragyan) were calibrated for a Lunar day (or 14 terrestrial days).
Meet on September 7
The flight schedule plans for the lander to reach the natural satellite on September 7 of this year, on a high plateau of the South Pole.
India will become the 4th nation to perform a soft landing on the Moon — after Russia, the USA and China — and after the unsuccessful Israeli mission Bereshit.