Chandrayaan-2

Chandrayaan-2 (Sanskrit: -; Sanskrit: [ tndd jan dd i]; lit: Moon-vehicle[3][4]

pronunciation (helpinfo)), is
India's second lunar exploration mission. Developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the mission
is planned to be launched to the Moon by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV),[5] includes a
lunar orbiter, a lander and a lunar rover, all developed by India. India is gearing up to launch Chandrayaan-2 by end
of 2017 or beginning of 2018.[6]
According to ISRO, this mission will use and test various new technologies and conduct new experiments.[7][8][9] 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.[10]

History[edit]
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.[11] ISRO would have the prime
responsibility for the orbiter and rover, while Roskosmos was to provide the lander.
The Indian Government approved the mission in a meeting of the Union Cabinet held on 18 September 2008 chaired
by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.[12] The design of the space craft was completed in August 2009, with scientists of
both countries conducting a joint review.[13][14]
Although ISRO finalized the payload for Chandrayaan-2 per schedule,[15] the mission was postponed,[5] and
rescheduled to 2016 because Russia was unable to develop the lander on time.[16][17] Later Roscosmos withdrew 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.[16] When Russia cited its
inability to provide the lander even by 2015, India decided to develop the lunar mission independently.[5]

Design[edit]
The mission is planned to fly on a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk-II (GSLV) with an approximate lift-off
mass of 2,650 kg from Satish Dhawan Space Center on Sriharikota Island.[18]

Orbiter[edit]
ISRO will design the orbiter, which will orbit the Moon at an altitude of 200 km.[19] 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.[15][18]

Lander[edit]
Unlike Chandrayaan-1's lunar probe, which impacted the Moon's surface, the lander will make a soft landing.[18] The
approximate mass of the lander and rover is 1,250 kg. Initially, the lander was slated to be developed by Russia in
collaboration with India. When Russia stated its inability provide the lander to meet even the revised time frame of
2015, Indian officials decided to develop the lander independently. The cancellation of the Russian lander also meant
that mission profile had to be changed. The design of the indigenous lander and the preliminary configuration study
has been completed by the Space Applications Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad.[5]