The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully placed Chandrayaan 2 into the lunar orbit on Tuesday morning and thus completed a major hurdle in India’s second Moon mission successfully. ISRO has said the significant milestone was achieved after Chandrayaan 2’s liquid engine was ignited for around 1738 seconds. ISRO released a statement confirming the Lunar Orbit Insertion of Chandrayaan-2 at 9.02 am on Tuesday.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Isro analysing data last received from Vikram lander
- Chandrayaan-2 lander lost contact just 2.1 km above moon surface
- Vikram lander had completed rough braking, lost contact during fine braking
Chandrayaan 2 Moon Landing Live Updates
PM Narendra Modi: Today I can proudly say that the effort was worth it & so was the journey. Our team worked hard, traveled far & these very teachings will remain with us. The learning from today will make us stronger and better. #Chandrayaan2
The ISRO statement said, “The health of the spacecraft is being continuously monitored from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru with support from Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) antennas at Bylalu, near Bengaluru. All the systems of Chandrayaan 2 are healthy.”
ISRO also said that the next lunar-bound orbit maneuvers are scheduled for Wednesday, August 21, between 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm.
Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation K Sivan later addressed the media and said that the orbit entry of Chandrayaan 2 happened perfectly at 9:30 am on Tuesday.
He further added that the lunar craft had an inclination of 90 degrees for landing and Chandrayaan 2 mission is now moving around the Moon.
Reportedly, ISRO has so far performed five earth-bound orbit raising maneuvers.
On August 6, ISRO successfully performed the fifth earth-bound orbit-raising maneuver for Chandryaan 2, using the onboard propulsion system for a firing duration of 1,041 seconds.
Chandrayaan 2 will now be performing 4 more orbit maneuvers to place the spacecraft into its final orbit before the crucial landing on the lunar surface on September 7.
According to ISRO, the next crucial stage after Tuesday’s move will be on September 2 when Vikram, the lander will separate from the orbiter. This will be followed by two more orbit maneuvers which will be performed on the lander before the initiation of powered descent to make a soft landing on the lunar surface on September 7.
After an initial failed attempt, Chandrayaan 2 was successfully launched on July 22 by GSLV MkIII-M1 vehicle. The Moon mission had entered the Lunar Transfer Trajectory on August 14 after final orbit raising maneuver of the spacecraft was successfully carried out.
