On Wednesday (1st May 2019), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said it's mulling to launch Chandrayaan-2, India second lunar mission between 9th and 6th of July. The sources, however, hinted that a lot of work is still pending before the project can be taken for the launch.
Chandrayaan-2 has three modules: the orbiter, lander (Vikram ) and Rover (Pragyan) An information from ISRO states that “All the modules are getting ready for Chandrayaan 2 launch during the window of July 09 to July 16, 2019, with an expected Moon landing on September 06, 2019 9 (sic),” The orbiter, lander (Vikram) & rover (Pragyan)-Chandrayaaan- 2 has three modules, “The orbiter and lander modules will be interfaced mechanically and stacked together as an integrated module and accommodated inside the GSLV MK-III launch vehicle. The rover is housed inside the lander,” ISRO said.
ISRO chairman K Sivan told TOI, “Once Vikram lands on the lunar surface on September 6, rover Prayan will come out of it and roll out on the lunar surface for 300-400 metres. It will spend 14 earth days on the moon for carrying out different scientific experiments. Altogether, there will be 13 payloads in the spacecraft. Three payloads in rover Pragyan and the other 10 payloads in lander Vikram and orbiter."
The rover will send data and images back to the Earth after analyse the content of the surface of the Moon through orbiter with 15 minutes, ISRO chairman, K Sivan added.
India's lunar mission was planned in April last year, but ISRO kept extending the deadline because of the several factor involved in the mission including the problem the erupted in lander Vikram during a test earlier this year.
If India successfully lands Chandrayaan-2 on the lunar surface, it will become the fourth country to do so. India was eyeing to become to fourth nation in the world after Russia, US and China to land spacecraft on the Moon and it almost lost to Israel, but Israel's Beresheet failed to land on the Moon on April 12
However, it won't be easy as a 3,290 kg Chandrayaan-2 because Beresheet tried to land on a plain made after solidification of lava called the Sea of Serenity. It's a flattened surface with more exposure to Sun, but Chandrayaan-2 will land on South Pole and no country except for China has tried landing there.
To put to knowledge that China in January landed its Chang’e 4 spacecraft on the far side known as the dark side. It's called dark side because it faces away from the earth and is comparatively unknown.
