Chandrayaan-2: A Memorable Mission Conducted by ISRO

Aims: The Chandrayaan-2 aims to wave the Indian flag on the dark side (South Pole) of the Moon that had never been rendered by any country before. The mission had conducted to gather more scientific information about the Moon. There were three main components of the Chandrayann-2 spacecraft- an orbiter, a lander, and a rover, means to collect data for the availability of water in the South Pole of the Moon.

Place and Duration of Study: The rover (Pragyan) was designed to operate for one Lunar day that is equivalent to 14 Earth days, whereas the orbiter is assumed to orbit the Moon for seven years instead of the previously planned for just one year.

Overview: The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft launched by India's heavy-lift rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV MKIII) from the Satish Dhawan Space Center launch pad located on Sriharikota island of Andhra Prades. Unlike, Chandrayaan-1, this lunar mission aimed to perform a soft-landing on the South Pole of the Lunar surface and do scientific experiments with the help of the rover (Pragyan).

Reason: The Chandrayaan-1, the first lunar mission of ISRO that detected water molecules on the Moon. The Chandrayaan-2 was a follow-on mission of Chandrayaan-1 to explore the presence of water molecules on the South Pole of the Moon.

Conclusion: Although the orbiter fulfilled all of the command, unfortunately, the lander (Lander) lost its communication at the last moment to touch the Moon’s surface softly. Despite that, India again showed its potential in space missions. Chandrayaan- 2 was the most low budget lunar mission ever conducted by any space organization. The developing or even underdeveloped countries may come forward in their space program as ISRO is showing a convenient way in space missions.