Sriharikota, July 22: Chandrayaan 2, India’s second moon mission is all set for a launch on July 22 at 2:43 pm Indian Standard Time (IST) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota. Chandrayaan-2 will be launched from Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk-III. The spacecraft is developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Chandrayaan 2: From What's at Stake to Launch Time and Cost, Know About India's Second Mission to Moon.

Chandrayaan 2 is completely an indigenous mission. The estimated cost of Chandrayaan 2 is Rs 603 crore, while its launcher GSLV MK-III nicknamed Bahubali costs Rs 375 crore. The spacecraft will be injected into an Earth parking 170x40400 km orbit about 16 minutes after the flight. With this mission, India will become the fourth nation -- after the United States, China and Russia -- to successfully perform a "soft landing" on the moon.

According to ISRO, the countdown for the launch which has already started at 6.43 pm on Sunday and is progressing smoothly. The rocket and spacecraft's systems will undergo checks and fuelling during the countdown. Chandrayaan 2: 10 Things You Must Know About India’s Second Moon Mission.

ISRO said, “Through this effort, the aim is to improve our understanding of the Moon — discoveries that will benefit India and humanity as a whole. These insights and experiences aim at a paradigm shift in how lunar expeditions are approached for years to come — propelling further voyages into the farthest frontiers.”

A series of manoeuvres will be carried out to put Chandrayaan 2 on Lunar Transfer Trajectory. On entering Moon's sphere of influence, on-board thrusters will slow down the spacecraft for Lunar Capture. The Orbit of Chandrayaan-2 around the moon will be circularized to 100x100 km orbit through a series of orbital manoeuvres.

Chandrayaan 2: Where Is The Spacecraft Now & When It Will Reach The Moon; Know ISRO Mission's Path

The spacecraft was earlier scheduled to be launched on July 15 at 2.51 am. However, the flight was postponed after a technical snag was detected an hour before the rocket lift-off. The issue was later rectified by the ISRO.

Chandrayaan 1 was India’s first unmanned moon mission launched in October 2008.  The Chandrayaan-1 mission performed high-resolution remote sensing of the moon in visible, near-infrared (NIR), low energy X-rays and high-energy X-ray regions. One of the objectives of the mission was to prepare a three-dimensional atlas of both near and far side of the moon.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 22, 2019 12:38 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).