Chandrayaan 2 is a groundbreaking Indian lunar mission that aims to explore the south polar region of the Moon, an area that no other country has ever explored before. The mission consists of an orbiter, a rover named Pragyan, and a lander named Vikram. The launch took place on July 22, 2019, and the mission landed on the Moon on September 7, 2019. While the orbiter’s mission is set to last for a year, the lander (Vikram) and rover (Pragyan) will only last for one Lunar day, which is equivalent to 14 Earth days.
Chandrayaan is the name of the Indian Lunar Exploration Program, which means “Moon craft” in Sanskrit. The program is a multi-mission project that will be carried out in three phases: Chandrayaan 1, Chandrayaan 2, and Chandrayaan 3. Chandrayaan 1 was launched in 2008 as an orbiter/impactor, Chandrayaan 2 (2019) includes soft landers/rovers, and Chandrayaan 3 (2024) will conduct in situ sampling.
The mission was launched using a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III from Sriharikota Space Center (GSLV Mk III). It includes a lunar orbiter, lander, and rover, all of which were developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The primary scientific goal of the mission is to map the location and amount of lunar water.
Chandrayaan-2 is unique in that it attempted to soft-land its Vikram module on the lunar surface and deploy a six-wheeled Rover called Pragyaan to conduct numerous scientific experiments on the Moon. Chandrayaan-1 had a lift-off mass of 1380 kg, while Chandrayaan-2 has a mass of 3850 kg. The mission is a significant achievement for India’s space program and paves the way for future lunar exploration missions.
Chandrayaan 2 is an important Indian lunar mission consisting of several components, including the GSLV Mk-III, a powerful launcher built entirely in India, an orbiter, a lander named Vikram, and a six-wheeled AI-powered rover named Pragyan. The mission’s primary objective is to achieve India’s first soft landing on the lunar surface, which will take place in a high plain between two craters known as Manzinus C and Simpelius N, at roughly 70 degrees south latitude.
The significance of the Chandrayaan 2 mission lies in its unprecedented achievements. It is the first spacecraft to land softly on the Moon’s south polar zone and the first Indian mission to attempt a soft landing using indigenous technology. Additionally, it is the first Indian expedition to examine the lunar surface using indigenous technologies, making India the fourth country after the United States, Russia, and China to soft-land on the lunar surface. The mission’s goal is to improve our understanding of the Moon, with discoveries that will benefit India and humanity as a whole. The findings and experiences from this lunar expedition may inspire future expeditions to the farthest reaches of the universe.
The Chandrayaan-2 mission, India’s second attempt to land on the Moon, experienced a malfunction in the lander and rover during the final moments of the descent, resulting in a crash and the destruction of the spacecraft. However, the mission’s orbiter and other components have continued to collect data normally, and in just two years, they have produced a wealth of new information that has contributed to our understanding of the Moon and its environment.
The Chandrayaan-2 mission has provided the most accurate data on the presence of H2O molecules on the Moon to date, as well as detected the presence of minor elements such as chromium, manganese, and sodium for the first time. These discoveries could help scientists better understand magmatic evolution on the Moon, as well as the nebular conditions and planetary differentiation. Additionally, the mission has recorded a significant number of microflares outside the active zone for the first time, which has significant implications for understanding the mechanism behind the heating of the solar corona, a long-standing mystery.
The mission has also explored persistently darkened regions, craters, and boulders beneath the regolith, which should aid scientists in identifying future landing and drilling sites, including those for human missions. Despite the loss of the lander and rover, the data collected so far by the scientific payloads has been disclosed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), some of which had yet to be analysed and reviewed. Overall, the Chandrayaan-2 mission has produced valuable insights and knowledge that will contribute to future lunar exploration missions.
India is planning to launch the Chandrayaan-3 mission in August 2022, according to the Department of Science. This mission is a follow-up to Chandrayaan-2, which landed a rover on the lunar South Pole in July 2019. The failure of the Vikram lander during that mission led to the development of Chandrayaan-3 to demonstrate the landing capabilities required for the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission, planned for 2024 in collaboration with Japan.
Chandrayaan-3 will be equipped with a lander and a rover, but unlike Chandrayaan-2, it will not have an orbiter with scientific instruments. Its mission will be limited to transporting the lander to the Moon, overseeing the landing from orbit, and communicating with the lander and earth station.
The mission’s goal is to investigate the Moon’s surface, including parts that haven’t seen sunlight in billions of years. Scientists and astronomers suspect the presence of ice and huge mineral stores in these darker parts of the lunar surface. Additionally, the exploration will extend beyond the surface and include research into the subsurface and exosphere.
The spacecraft’s rover will communicate with Earth via an orbiter borrowed from Chandrayaan-2, and it will photograph the surface from a distance of 100 kilometers from the lunar orbit. The Chandrayaan-3 lander will be propelled by four throttle-able engines and equipped with a Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV). Overall, the Chandrayaan-3 mission is another significant step forward in India’s lunar exploration program and will provide valuable insights into the Moon’s composition and history.