8th
September 2019
By: Haris
Ahmad[1]
On July 22, 2019, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization)
launched the Chandrayan-2 spacecraft from Satish Dhawan Space Center on Sriharikota Island on
an ISRO Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III. It is the
second lunar mission developed by ISRO. It consisted of a lunar surface lander
named Vikram and a lunar rover named as Pragyan.
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| Vikram lander probe and rover, image by Cnet |
The craft reached the Moon's orbit on 20 August 2019 and
began orbital positioning maneuvers for the landing of the Vikram
lander. It was scheduled that Vikram would land on the South Pole region on The moon on 7th September. The Descender probe Vikram's initial descent went as planned,
but then communications were lost 2.1km before the landing. Initial reports suggesting a crash have been confirmed by ISRO
chairman K. Sivan, stating that the lander location had been found, and
"it must have been a hard landing". The orbiter, part of the mission
with eight scientific instruments, remains operational and will continue its
seven-year mission to study the Moon. The lunar South Pole is of special
interest to scientists because of the occurrence of water ice in permanently
shadowed areas around it. The lunar South Pole region features craters that are
unique in that the near-constant sunlight does not reach their interior. Such
craters are cold traps that contain a fossil record of hydrogen, water ice, and
other volatiles dating from the early Solar system. Due to the fact that this
place contains some of the oldest fossil records dating from the early Solar
System, Space agencies are trying to reach this place as soon as possible. The fact that ISRO was so
close to it gives us an opportunity to reflect and implement in future launches.
People are absorbed in internal politics, which is why we ignore innovation. India's Chandrayaan-2
lander likely crashed into the moon's surface. India's attempt to safely land a
spacecraft on the surface of the moon likely ended in failure, dashing high
hopes for the country to be just the fourth in history to successfully land
there.
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