ISRO chief: Preparations underway for launch of Chandrayaan-2

It is the Indian Space Research Organisation's first mission to land on any celestial body and a follow-up to Chandrayaan-1 launched in 2008

Tirupati: ISRO is all set for India's prestigious lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, and all preparations are going on for its launch on July 15, K Sivan, the space agency's chairman said on Saturday. It is the Indian Space Research Organisation's first mission to land on any celestial body and a follow-up to
Chandrayaan-1 which was launched in 2008. The objective of this mission is to take up a detailed study on the understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon, according to ISRO.

Waiting impatiently to watch launching of #Chandrayan2 from Sriharikota, it will explore South pole of Moon for the first time.
Historical mission of ISRO . pic.twitter.com/D1LLECMyRt

— Deepak Saini (@deepaksaini685) July 14, 2019

"All preparations for Chandrayaan-2 are going on for the launch scheduled at 2.51 am on July 15 from Sriharikota," K Sivan stated after offering prayers at the Lord Venkateswara hill shrine at Tirumala. ISRO had earlier said all three modules of the moon mission - Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan), which were getting ready for the launch and the lander was expected to touch down on the lunar surface in early September. In a brief interaction, K Sivan, also the Secretary, Department of Space, stated that the lander would make a soft landing on September 6 in the lunar South Pole, an uncharted territory so far.

Also Read: India to launch Chandrayaan-2 in second week of July

He ruled out rains posing a threat to the launch. "There will be no effect since the launch vehicle (GSLVMkIII) is rain protected," he stated amid a downpour in the region. The Chandrayaan-2 would be carried by the GSLVMkIII, dubbed 'Fat Boy' by Indian scientists for its ability to carry satellites weighing up to 4-tonnes. Asked about the total mission cost, K Sivan said it was Rs 1,000 Crore. About the 'Gaganyaan' project, India's maiden human spaceflight programme, he stated it was progressing and the first unmanned mission would be taken up in December 2020. "Currently, design phase has been completed. Realisation phase is going on." Two unmanned missions would be taken up, the first in December 2020 and the second in July 2021. "In December 2021, we are planning to send humans into space," he said.

Also Read: Ram Nath Kovind sends best wishes to ISRO chief for space mission 'Chandrayaan-2'

With inputs from PTI

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