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Chandrayaan 2 launch 2019: India’s first lunar landing mission set for blast off

India will launch Chandrayaan-2, the nation’s first lunar landing mission, just days before the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s first steps on Moon on July 20, 1969.

“The payloads aboard Chandrayaan-2 will help in understanding the origin of moon and how it is related to the earth; it is like doing a DNA analysis. Expanding on the findings of Chandrayaan 1, the mission will also aim to observe water ice on the surface of the moon,” said DR MylswamyAnnadurai, the former director of ISRO satellite centre in Bengaluru.

The Mission Anatomy

Chandrayaan-2 consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover together referred to as “composite body”.

1. Chandrayaan-2 will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on-board GSLV Mk-III on July 15, 2019.
2. Chandrayaan-2 will be injected into an Earth parking orbit. A series of manoeuvres will raise its orbit and put it on lunar transfer trajectory. On entering the Moon’s sphere of influence, thrusters will slow it down for lunar capture.
3. The orbit of Chandrayaan-2 around the Moon will be circularised to 100km orbit through a series of complex orbital manoeuvres with the help of thrusters.
4. On the day of landing, the lander – Vikram – will separate from the orbiter and then perform a series of manoeuvres comprising of ‘rough’ and ‘fine’ braking.
5. Imaging of the landing site region prior to landing will be conducted to find hazard-free and safe landing zones.
6. Vikram will finally land near the Moon’s South Pole on September 6 or 7, 2019. Subsequently, the rover – Pragyan – will roll out and carry out experiments on lunar surface for one lunar day (or 14 Earth days).
7. Orbiter will continue its mission for the duration of one year.

The challenges

Trajectory: Ensuring trajectory accuracy over 384,400km to Moon while navigating the non-uniform gravitation pull of the Earth, the Moon, and other astronomical bodies.

Deep space communications: Communication will be only through weak radio signals with heavy background noise due to the massive distance.

Trans-lunar injection: To get to the lunar orbit and then land on the Moon, Chandrayaan-2 has to perform a series of complex burns to change orbit.

Lunar orbit: Lunar gravity is lumpy due to uneven mass, influencing Chandrayaan’s orbit.

Lunar dust: Firing engines close to lunar surface results flow of dust, which is negatively charged and sticks to most surfaces and can cause disruption in deployment solar panel, sensors etc.

Temperatures: A lunar day is equal to 14 Earth days, resulting in extreme variation in surface temperature, along with the vacuum makes the environment hostile for operations.

Objectives of Chandrayaan-2 project

1. Studying and mapping the lunar terrain
2. Mineralogical analysis of rocks and soil
3. Studying the lunar ionosphere
4. Measuring moon-quakes and studying the lunar crust and mantle

In cabinet rejig, Goa CM asks 4 ministers to resign to make way for new faces

Goa chief minister PramodSawant on Friday asked four ministers — three from the ally Goa Forward Party (GFP) and one independent — in his cabinet to put in their papers to make way for four new ministers.

The four ministers— deputy CM VijaiSardesai, VinodaPaliencar, JayeshSalgaocar of the GFP, and Rohan Khaunte, an independent MLA have been asked to resign. The swearing-in ceremony for the new ministers is tentatively scheduled for 3pm on Saturday.

The CM who was in Delhi on Friday told reporters that he had asked his cabinet colleagues to resign. “I have directed four ministers, three from the GFP and one Independent minister to resign as ministers as directed by the party High Command,” Sawant told reporters.

ChandrakantKavlekar, who until Wednesday was the Leader of Opposition, current deputy speaker Michael Lobo, Atanasio “Babush” Monserrate and Filipe Neri Rodrigues —will be sworn-in on Saturday.

While an official statement regarding the changes in the cabinet is yet to be issued, the GFP claimed they have not received any communication from the BJP’s central leadership.

“The GFP is part of the NDA and had joined the BJP-led state government after talks with the national leadership of the BJP. The present state BJP leaders were not part of the discussions then. We will take appropriate steps after talking with the central NDA leadership…we have received indications that the matter will be sorted out amicably,” the party said in a statement.

Earlier in the day deputy speaker Michael Lobo claimed that the decision to do away with the alliance partner GFP was because it was trying to armtwist the government.

(Source – Hindustan Times)

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