Chandrayaan-2 May Revolve Around the Moon for Two Years, Life Span Likely to be Extended: Report
Ahead of the launch, the space agency had said that its ambitious spacecraft will orbit around the Moon for a year. ISRO had earlier said that the rover (Pragyan) will carry out experiments on the Moon's surface for 1 Lunar day which is equal to 14 Earth days while the orbiter will continue its mission for a duration of one year.
New Delhi, July 28: Chandrayaan-2, India's second moon mission, is likely to revolve around the Moon for two years going by the current estimation by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Ahead of the launch, the space agency had said that its ambitious spacecraft will orbit around the Moon for a year. ISRO had earlier said that the rover (Pragyan) will carry out experiments on the Moon's surface for 1 Lunar day which is equal to 14 Earth days while the orbiter will continue its mission for a duration of one year. Chandrayaan 2 Explained! When Will ISRO's GSLV-Mk III Reach Moon And What Will Happen After That?
According to a report by TOI, officials associated with the mission informed that the life of Chandrayaan 2 may be extended by an additional year as per the current status. This will, in turn, be a significant bonus from the one-year lifespan that ISRO chairman K Sivan had said.
As per officials working with the core team, Chandrayaan-1 was planned for a longer time around the Moon, but had problem with the power converters, which cut short its lifespan. However, this time in Chandrayaan-2, the issue has been corrected. Sources were quoted in the report saying that going by the amount of fuel that will remain in the orbiter after all the manoeuvres, the Chandrayaan-2 can orbit around the Moon for at least two years. Chandrayaan 2: From What's at Stake to Launch Time and Cost, Know About India's Second Mission to Moon.
On July 24, the first earth-bound orbit raising manoeuvre for Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was performed successfully. On July 26, Chandrayaan-2 had successfully raised its orbit around the Earth for the second time, taking the spacecraft one step closer to the Moon. The third orbit raising maneuver is scheduled on July 29, 2019, between 1430 – 1530 hrs (IST).
On July 22, ISRO’s most powerful three-stage rocket GSLV-MkIII-M1 had launched the spacecraft into the orbit of the Earth on July 22 from the spaceport of Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. ISRO has planned a total of 15 orbit raising manoeuvres before the 3,850 kilogramme (kg) three-module Chandrayaan-2 comprising an orbiter, lander and rover is brought around the Moon.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 28, 2019 02:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).