Chandrayaan 2 has successfully entered the lunar orbit today, and we are sure this news will be received with extreme happiness by the whole of India!
The second moon mission marked its beginning on the 22nd of July, and within 30 days of its launch, the spacecraft has entered the lunar orbit, which is a moment to be extremely proud of for us Indians.
The mission apparently has been very tricky and complex. Even a minor error would have yielded destruction and disappointing results. And there is more to come!
Why was this feat so complex, and what does it signify? Find out right here!
Chandrayaan 2 Successfully Enters Lunar Orbit: Trickiest Operations In The Mission
India’s second and the biggest moon mission, Chandrayaan 2 was launched last month and has successfully entered the lunar orbit, as declared by the Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO. As per reports, this has been one of the ‘trickiest’ operations in the entire mission.
Why was it tricky? If the approach velocity of the spacecraft had been higher than estimated, it would have bounced off into space, never to be found again. Whereas, if the velocity had been a bit lower than required, Chandrayaan 2 would have been pulled in by the gravity of the moon making it crash into the surface of the moon.
However, the spacecraft managed to maintain the precise speed and accomplished this wonderful feat. As per a statement by ISRO, the measurements of the orbit achieved are 114 km x 18072 km.
In this statement, ISRO also said, “Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) maneuver was completed successfully today (August 20, 2019) at 0902 hrs IST as planned, using the onboard propulsion system. The duration of maneuver was 1738 seconds. With this, Chandrayaan 2 was successfully inserted into a Lunar orbit.”
Here’s What Happens Next
There will be four more maneuvers, the next one will be at 1 pm tomorrow. The next maneuvers have been planned to take place on August 28, August 30 and September 1. The big show and the most complex of all the operations is the separation of the lander, Vikram, which is scheduled to be on September 2.
These maneuvers will bring the Chandrayaan 2 to lower orbits of the moon and place it in an orbit of 100 km X 100 km, where it will be for the rest of its life.
On September 2, the lander Vikram will be separated from the orbiter, and only 15 minutes after this separation and launch of Vikram on the lunar surface, it will send photographs of the site.
These 15 minutes will be the most terrifying time span in the whole Chandrayaan 2 mission.
We’ll keep you updated as more details come in!
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