Kolkata, September 6: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday took a dig at the government and said that the Chandrayaan 2 hype is nothing but a tactic to divert the country from the current economic disaster.  Ahead of Chandrayaan-2’s touchdown on moon’s South Pole, Banerjee said the government is lauding the success of the Moon mission as if no such missions had taken place in the country in the past. During her address in the state assembly, Banerjee said this is the BJP government's attempt to divert attention from economic disaster. "As if the Chandrayaan launch is the first in the country. As if before they came to power, no such missions were taken up. It is an attempt to divert attention from economic disaster", Banerjee said.

‘Vikram’ with rover ‘Pragyaan’ housed inside is scheduled for a powered-descent between 1 am and 2 am on Saturday, followed by its touchdown between 1.30 am and 2.30 am on Saturday, September 07, 2019. This will be followed by the Rover roll out between 5:30 am to 6:30 am. Chandrayaan 2: Vikram Lander to Make Soft Landing on Moon's Surface on September 7 Between 1:30 am & 2:30 am.

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Expressing happiness over ISRO's success, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and lauded the exemplary prowess of India's space scientists.  "The moment 130 crore Indians were enthusiastically waiting for is here! In a few hours from now, the final descent of Chandrayaan- 2 will take place on the Lunar South Pole. India and the rest of the world will yet again see the exemplary prowess of our space scientists. I urge you all to watch the special moments of Chandrayaan – 2 descending on to the Lunar South Pole!", the Prime Minister said. How Will Chandrayaan-2 Identify Presence of Water Below Surface of Moon? ISRO Explains With This Video.

 

The  Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft will be the first Indian expedition to carry out a soft landing on the lunar surface. In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister expressed his excitement to be at the ISRO Centre in Bengaluru to witness the extraordinary moment in the history of India’s space programme.

The crucial landing of ‘Vikram’ will be carried out by at least eight onboard equipment in a coordinated manner. The Chandrayaan 2 mission will make India the fourth country after the US, Russia, and China to conduct a soft landing on the moon. The spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 22.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 06, 2019 03:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).