Chandrayaan -2 launch rescheduled to 14:43 hrs on 22 July
18 Jul 2019
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The launch of India’s ambitious Moon mission - Chandrayaan-2 – which was called off barely an hour before its scheduled launch on 15 July, will now take off at 2:43 pm (IST) on 22 July, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) announced today.
The mission launch, which was scheduled for 15 July 2019 had to be called off due to a technical snag noticed on cryogenic engine, barely an hour before launch. Isro since constituted an expert committee to analyse the issue and suggest remedial action.
“The expert committee identified the root cause of the technical snag and all corrective actions are implemented. Thereafter, the system performance is normal.
“Chandrayaan - 2 launch is now rescheduled on 22 July 2019 at 14:43 hrs from Second launch pad of SDSC, Sriharikota” Isro added.
A technical snag was observed in launch vehicle system at one hour before the launch. As a measure of abundant caution Chandrayaan-2 launch has been called off for today. Revised launch date will be announced later, Isro stated on 15 July.
The countdown was stopped at ‘T- 56 minutes’ after Isro scientists found a glitch in the launch vehicle system. Isro had completed filling of liquid hydrogen in the cryogenic stage of the GSLV MK-III-M1, which is capable of carrying satellites of up to four tonnes, at 1.34 am. But 22 minutes later, the countdown clock stopped ticking at 56.24 minutes to launch.
The mission was aimed at putting a rover on the moon’s South Pole, where no country has gone before.
Chandrayaan-2 ready now for ride to Moon and the countdown will start on Sunday morning.
The success of Chandrayaan-2 will make India the fourth country in the world to land and explore the lunar surface
Despite the delay, Chandrayaan-2 is planned to land on Moon by 6 September, as earlier scheduled.
Isro’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark-III, nicknamed Bahubali, will blast off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, carrying a load of 3,877 kg. This will include the lander, Vikram, and the rover, Pragyaan.
Chandrayaan-2 consists of three segments — the orbiter (2,379 kg), Vikram (1,471 kg), and Pragyaan (27 kg). When it takes off, about 7,000 people will be watching at the launch site.
Chandrayaan-2 is designed to study lunar topography, seismography, mineral identification and distribution, surface chemical composition, thermo-physical characteristics of topsoil, and the composition of the tenuous lunar atmosphere.
About 16 minutes after take-off, the 640-tonne rocket will put the spacecraft — weighing about 3.8 tonnes, about the same as eight elephants — into orbit. A series of manoeuvres will project it into the lunar transfer trajectory.
If all goes according to schedule, Pragyaan and Vikram, marked with the Tricolour, the Ashoka Chakra and Isro’s logo, will touch down on the lunar surface on September 6 or 7. The distance between the Earth and the moon is 384,400 km.
On the day of the landing, the lander and the orbiter will separate and perform a series of complex manoeuvres. The six-wheeled rover will carry out two experiments on the moon for one lunar day, which equals 14 Earth days. The orbiter’s mission will continue for a year. There is also one experiment commissioned by the US space agency NASA.
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