GSLV MkIII-M1 lifts up Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft successfully 23/07/2019 – Posted in: Daily News – Tags: chandrayaan-3
CHANDRAYAAN-2 GOES UP SUCCESSFULLY
For: Preliminary & Mains
Topics covered: All about Chandrayaan-2 mission, Proposed Chandrayaan-3 mission
News Flash
India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV MkIII-M1 successfully launched the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into an earth orbit.
- The spacecraft is now revolving round the earth with a perigee (nearest point to Earth) and an apogee (farthest point to Earth).
- GSLV MkIII-M1 vehicle lifted off from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota.
- After spacecraft separation from the vehicle, the solar array of the spacecraft automatically got deployed.
- Afterward, ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), Bengaluru successfully took control of the spacecraft.
Chandrayaan-2
- Chandrayaan-2 is India’s second mission to the moon.
- It comprises a fully indigenous Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan).
- The Rover Pragyan is housed inside Vikram lander.
- Chandrayaan-2 to land at a place near moon’s south pole to carry out scientific experiments to explore the unexplored.
Mission Objective
The Objective of Chandrayaan-2 is to develop and demonstrate the key technologies for end-to-end lunar mission capability, including soft-landing and roving on the lunar surface.
Mission Aim
- This mission aims to further expand our knowledge about the Moon through a detailed study.
- Study of its topography, mineralogy, surface chemical composition, thermo-physical characteristics, and atmosphere.
- The study helps in understanding the origin and evolution of the Moon.
Highlights
- The moon is the closest cosmic body at which space discovery can be attempted and documented. But its south polar region has never been explored by any country before.
- This is the first space mission to conduct a soft landing on the Moon’s south polar region which has a lunar surface area much larger than that of the North Pole and remains in shadow.
- The GSLV Mk-III which will carry Chandrayaan 2 to its designated orbit is India’s most powerful launcher to date.
- The mission life of the Orbiter is one year and the metre-long rover has an expected life of 14 Earth days (one lunar day).
- In order to test the spacecraft’s lander Vikram, ISRO recreated lunar surface at its Lunar Terrain Test Facility in Challakere Science City, Bengaluru.
- Chandrayaan-2 will have 14 Indian payloads or study devices including scientific ones to study topography, seismography, mineral identification and distribution, and surface chemical composition.
- It will take 43-45 days to travel the 3.84 lakh km from the earth to the moon’s surface.
GSLV MkIII
- GSLV Mk III is a three-stage launch vehicle developed by ISRO.
- The vehicle has two solid strap-ons, a core liquid booster and a cryogenic upper stage.
- The vehicle is designed to carry 4 ton class of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) or about 10 tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Third Moon Trip
Related information
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Source: The Hindu
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