Chandrayaan-2: All you need to know about ISRO's second lunar mission

A view of the Chandrayaan-2 on board GSLVMkIII-M1 at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Nellore district, Saturday, July 13, 2019. Pic/PTI

ISRO on July 22, 2019, successfully launched its second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 from Sriharikota spaceport in order to explore the uncharted south pole of the celestial body. Chandrayaan 2 rocket GSLV-MkIII-M1 includes a rover Pragyan which will be used in a high plain between two craters, Manzinus C and Simpelius N, at a latitude of about 70° south. The Chandrayaan 2 launch came exactly a week after the mission was aborted after a technical snag was observed during the propellant filling stage.

It's worth pointing out that Chandrayaan 2 is a unique mission for space. The mission is spearheaded by two women, Muthayya Vanitha and Ritu Karidhal. Reportedly, the two women have put gruelling working hours had contributed to the launch of Chandrayaan 2. This mission will make India the fourth country after the US, Russia, and China to carry out a soft landing on the moon.

Within minutes of the launch, several political leaders, Bollywood stars and sports celebrities took to microblogging site Twitter to express their excitement and happiness over the highly-anticipated mission. Chandrayaan-2 mission, which is India's second moon mission, is touted as the most complex and prestigious mission undertaken by ISRO since its inception.

What is the aim of the Chandrayaan Mission?

According to ISRO's official website, Chandrayaan 2 was launched with an aim to improve our understanding of the Moon. ISRO believe that the discoveries through the mission will benefit the country and humanity as a whole.

Also Read: Chandrayaan-2 enters Earth orbit, lunar landing on September 7

What are the scientific objectives of Chandrayaan 2

Chandrayaan 2 mission would provide insights as to Earth's early history as it is the closest cosmic body. ISRO claims that Chandrayaan 1 provided evidence for water molecules on the moon. Chandrayaan 2 was launched to study further about of water molecule distribution on the surface, below the surface and in the tenuous lunar exosphere to address the origin of water on Moon.

Also Read: Chandrayaan-2: Second earth-bound orbit-raising manoeuvre successfully performed

So why explore the Lunar South Pole?

The lunar South Pole, as reported on the ISRO's official website, is especially interesting since the lunar surface area here remains in shadow much larger than that at the North Pole. The scientists suspect that there could presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around it. Moreover, the South Pole region has craters that have cold traps and contain a fossil record of the early Solar System.

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