Coming out of the Tirumala temple, Sivan said, "On Monday (July 15), early morning at 2:51 AM, we are going to have the most important and prestigious mission - Chandrayaan 2".
It will be nearly 11 years since India's last foray to the Moon, when the Chandrayaan-1 probe made a controlled impact near the south pole to collect soil samples to test for traces of water. The launch will take place from an island off India's southeastern coast and aims to explore the moon's unchartered south polar region.
Landing of Chandrayaan-2 is ISRO's biggest challenge till now, the 15 minutes when the lander separates and before it soft lands on the moon have been called "terrifying moments" by the agency that has never undertaken such a flight. The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft will be launched via the ISRO's own GSLV-MK3 three-stage rocket, according to the Planetary Society.
The GSLV Mark-III launch vehicle was moved to the launch pad on July 7.
India's second Moon mission, Chandrayaan-2, has evoked great interest in Western media and scientific journals, with many saying the mission that costs less than half of the budget of Hollywood blockbuster "Avengers Endgame" will put India in league with lunar pioneers - the US, Russia and China.
Orbiter, Lander and Rover will remain in contact with ground stations.
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"Chandryaan 2 is going to an area that no country before has reached".
Chandrayaan-2 has several science payloads to expand the lunar scientific knowledge through detailed study of topography, seismography, mineral identification and distribution, surface chemical composition, thermo-physical characteristics of top soil and composition of the tenuous lunar atmosphere, leading to a new understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon. Chandrayaan-2 will then perform a series of orbital maneuvers to reach a circular, 100-kilometer orbit around the Moon. "And serving the 1.3 billion Indian population through space technology". It will "boldly go where no country has ever gone before", ISRO said in a statement, reports the Associated Press. This will be followed by orbit-raising operations before being slung into a trans-lunar injection.
Fifty years after USA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped foot on the lunar surface in a giant leap for mankind during the Apollo 11 mission, spacefaring nations have once again been turning their focus and resources toward the moon.
This is where Chandrayaan 2 fundamentally differs from Chandrayaan-1. The region is crucial, scientists say, as there is a possibility of the presence of water and craters that contain fossil records of the early solar system. Mission will also study the exosphere of the moon.
Amid a new global space race, India is preparing to launch a second mission to the moon.
A high-resolution camera on the lander will provide images of the landing site to ensure that the Vikram lander touches down safely. In addition there is a NASA payload which will be passive instrument.
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