New Delhi, July 24: Chandrayaan 2, India's second lunar mission, is expected to make a soft landing on the moon on September 7. Ahead of the landing, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is shortlisting names that India can inscribe on the Moon site where the lander 'Vikram' would make a soft touchdown as planned on September 7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may announce the name after successful moon landing by Chandrayaan 2.

"We are selecting a name, we still have time for that," ISRO chairman K Sivan was quoted by Times of India as saying. Asked whether ISRO or the government has prepared a list of names, Sivan replied: "There is no shortlist of names. We are in the process, will pick a name." "This whole exercise depends on a successful landing. We expect an announcement only after that," a source said. Chandrayaan 2 Explained! When Will ISRO's GSLV-Mk III Reach Moon And What Will Happen After That?

ISRO won't reveal the name until Chandrayaan 2 mission passes through its most critical phase - landing on the moon. According to Sivan, all preparations for the landing are complete. The "15 minutes of terror" will culminate when Vikram sets its footpads on the moon surface. On November 14, 2008, India named a region near Shackleton Crater 'Jawahar Point' - to mark the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) carried by Chandrayaan 1, India's first lunar mission.

Chandrayaan 2: Where Is The Spacecraft Now & When It Will Reach The Moon

The MIP crashlanded on the moon surface on Children's Day, also the birth date of India's first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. India had on Monday launched Chandrayaan-2 on-board its powerful rocket GSLV-MkIII-M1 from the spaceport of Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh with the aim of landing a rover in the unexplored lunar south pole.

According to ISRO, the Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft is in "good health" and moving in the "right direction". "The Chandrayaan-2 is in good health. There is no doubt about it. It is moving in the right direction," an official of the Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO told PTI. If successful, it will make India the fourth country after Russia, the US and China to pull off a soft landing on the moon.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 24, 2019 10:13 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).