India's Second Mission To The Moon

Chandrayaan-2, India’s second Moon mission was launched on July 22. Chandrayaan-2 will be the first mission to land a rover near the lunar South Pole.

- Aniket Panja

The launch was previously scheduled for July 15 but had to be called off due to a technical snag. The mission follows the Chandrayaan-1 mission which was launched about 10 years ago. Chandrayaan-2, which was launched from Sriharikota, Andra Pradesh, includes a lander and a rover for the first time in an Indian space mission. The moon landing is scheduled for September 6/7.

According to ISRO sources, Chandrayaan-2 weighs around 3,290 kg. It would orbit around the moon and carry out remote sensing of the moon. According to ISRO, “The payloads will collect scientific information on lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, lunar exosphere and signatures of hydroxyl and water-ice.”

The spacecraft has an orbiter, a lander (Vikram), and a rover (Pragyan). The lander and the rover have the Tricolour painted on them. The Ashoka Chakra has been imprinted on the rover’s wheels.