Chandrayan-2

Chandrayaan-2

Chandrayaan-2Operator Indian Space Research Organisation

Mission type Orbiter, lander and one rover

Launch date 2015 (proposed)

Launch vehicle GSLV

Mission duration One year (orbiter and rover)

Satellite of Moon

Homepage ISRO

Mass 2,650 Kg (orbiter, lander and rover)

Chandrayaan-2 (Sanskrit: चंद्रयान-२, lit: Moon-vehicle  pronunciation  is India's second lunar exploration mission. Developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the mission is proposed to be launched to the Moon in 2015 by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV),includes a lunar orbiter, a lander and a lunar rover, all developed by India. Initially the mission was a joint venture of ISRO and its Russian counterpart Roskosmos, but the latter withdrew from the mission failing to provide a lander within the proposed time. According to ISRO, this mission will use and test various new technologies and conduct new experiments. The wheeled rover will move on the lunar surface and will pick up soil or rock samples for on-site chemical analysis. The data will be relayed to Earth through the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter.

The Indian Government approved the mission in a meeting of the Union Cabinet held on 18 September 2008 chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

On November 12, 2007, representatives of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) and ISRO signed an agreement for the two agencies to work together on the Chandrayaan-2 project.ISRO will have the prime responsibility for the orbiter and rover, while Roskosmos will be responsible for the lander. The design of the space craft was completed in August 2009, with scientists of both countries conducting a joint review. The launch date might slip because the loss of the Fobos-Grunt mission which was a planned as a test for the Russian landing system.

Current status

Although ISRO has finalized the payload for Chandrayaan-2, the mission was postponed to 2014 and was expected to be further rescheduled to 2016 because of a delay in the construction of the Russian lander. The delay came in wake of the failure of the Russian Phobos-Grunt mission to Mars, reason being technical aspects connected with the Phobos-Grunt mission were also used in the lunar projects, which need to be reviewed. When Russia cited its inability to provide the lander even by 2015, India decided to develop the lunar mission independently.

The mission is planned to fly on a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk-II (GSLV) with an approximate lift-off weight of 2,650 kg from Satish Dhawan Space Center on Sriharikota IslandOrbiter

ISRO will design the orbiter, which will orbit the Moon at an altitude of 200 km. The mission would carry five instruments on the orbiter. Three of them are new, while two others are improved versions of those flown on Chandrayaan-1 orbiter. The approximate launch mass will be 1,400 kg.Lander

Unlike Chandrayaan-1's lunar probe, which impacted the Moon's surface, the lander will make a soft landing The approximate weight of the lander and rover is 1,250 kg. The Russian Federal Space Agency will design and build the lander.

Initially, the lander was slated to be developed by Russia in collaboration with India. The Russian-designed and developed Moon lander was going to carry a 15 kg rover developed by ISRO in collaboration with Russia. The solar-powered Russian lander was going carry a scientific payload of 35 kg (not including the rover) comprising a seismometer and a laser reflector to analyse the lunar soil and search for water. Also, a landing beacon that could facilitate future landings was being considered. When Russia expressed its inability provide the lander to meet even the revised time frame of 2015 for the Chandrayaan-2 launch owing to the Phobos-Grunt failure, India will develop the lander independently. The cancellation of the Russian lander also meant that mission profile had to be marginally changed. The design of the indigenous lander and the preliminary configuration study has been completed by the Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad.Rover

The rover will weigh 30–100 kg and will operate on solar power. The rover will move on wheels on the lunar surface, pick up samples of soil or rocks, perform chemical analysis and send the data to the orbiter above, which will relay it to the Earth station.

The rover has been designed in Russia and is being fabricated by Indian scientists. IIT Kanpur is developing three subsystems to provide mobility:

Stereophonic camera based 3D vision - will provide the ground team controlling the rovers a 3D view of the surrounding terrain.

Kinematic traction control - will enable the rover to negotiate the rough lunar terrain using independent steering provided on four of its wheels.

Control and motor dynamics - The rover will have six wheels, each driven by an independent electrical motor. Four of the wheels will also be capable of independent steering. A total of 10 electrical motors will be used for traction and steering.