CHANDRAYAN-2

By
Selva Lakshmi
Scientists Involved in the Mission

Ritu Karidhal Muthayya Vanitha

 India’s first lunar lander falls silent
just before touchdown
• An Indian spacecraft’s unprecedented attempt to make a soft,
controlled landing in the moon’s south polar region has ended in
excruciating silence: Shortly before touchdown, the robotic lander
Vikram—part of the Chandrayaan-2 mission —fell out of contact with
mission control. The Indian Space Research Organization, India’s
space agency, says that the spacecraft stopped communicating with
Earth when it was within 1.3 miles of the lunar surface.
• “The Vikram descent was as planned, and normal performance was
observed, up to an altitude of 2.1 kilometers,” said Kailasavadivoo
Sivan, ISRO’s chairman, in a statement roughly half an hour after
signal loss. “The data is being analyzed.”
 67° 52′ 26.62″ S, 18° 28′ 10.09″ W
Coordinates on the Moon
(-67.87406°, -18.46947°)
• In addition to setting a global first, a successful landing would have
made India just the fourth country to touch down anywhere on the
lunar surface, and only the third nation to operate a robotic rover
there. Nevertheless, the Chandrayaan-2 mission’s orbiter remains
safely in lunar orbit, with a year-long scientific mission ahead of it.
•
Mission repeat: Chandrayaan-3

• In November 2019, ISRO officials stated that a new lunar lander mission is being studied for
launch in November 2020; this new proposal is called Chandrayaan-3 and it would be a re-
attempt to demonstrate the landing capabilities needed for the Lunar Polar Exploration
Mission proposed in partnership with Japan for 2024. If funded, this re-attempt would not include
launching an orbiter . The proposed configuration would have a detachable propulsion module, a
lander and a rover. According to VSSC director, S. Somanath, there will be more follow up missions
in the Chandrayaan programme.
• According to The Times of India, work on Chandrayaan-3 commenced on November 14, 2019.
• In December 2019 it was reported that ISRO requested the initial funding of the project,
amounting to ₹75 crore (US$11 million), out of which ₹60 crore (US$8.4 million) will be for
meeting expenditure towards machinery, equipment and other capital expenditure, while the
remaining ₹15 crore (US$2.1 million) is sought under revenue expenditure head.
• Confirming the existence of the project, ISRO's chairman K. Sivan stated that it’s cost would be
around ₹615 crore (US$86 million).