Moon News  
MOON DAILY
India's 2nd Moon Mission to Be Cheaper than Half of Avengers Endgame's Budget
by Staff Writers
New Delhi (Sputnik) May 20, 2019

Illustration of Chandrayaan-2 mission profile

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has started to offer details about its most ambitious space mission to date, Chandrayaan 2, in bits and pieces, indicating that the agency is known for cost-effective launches among satellite-makers and may not delay the second lunar mission any further.

ISRO has announced that all the modules are being prepared for the launch of Chandrayaan-2 during the window of 9 July to July 16, 2019, with an expected Moon landing on 6 September 2019.

The Chandrayaan-2 mission is a sequel to the successful Chandrayaan-1 mission, that assisted in confirming the presence of water on the moon in 2009. So far, only Russia, the US, and China have undertaken the 384,600 km (239,000 mile) journey and landed spacecraft on the moon. Earlier this year, Israel made an unsuccessful attempt to join the elite club, but its mission failed.

First-Ever Landing at South Pole
Chandrayaan-2 will launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, a barrier island off the Bay of Bengal coast in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, aboard a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV MK-III) rocket. Chandrayaan-2 has three modules: namely, Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan). The Orbiter and Lander modules will be interfaced mechanically and stacked together as an integrated module and accommodated inside the GSLV MK-III launch vehicle.

The Rover is housed inside the Lander. ISRO hopes to land modules near the south pole of the moon, below a latitude of 70 degrees, a location no other country has explored before. In the most complex mission ever undertaken by ISRO, it will deploy a rover on the lunar surface. After reaching a 100 km (62 mile) lunar orbit, the lander will softly land on the lunar surface and deploy a rover, while the orbiter will continue to orbit around the moon.

"After launch into Earth-bound orbit by GSLV MK-III, the integrated module will reach Moon orbit using the Orbiter propulsion module. Subsequently, Lander will separate from the Orbiter and soft land at the predetermined site, close to the lunar South Pole," ISRO said.

Chandrayaan -2 will carry 13 Indian Payloads (8 on orbiter, 3 on lander and two on Rover) and one passive experiment from the US space agency NASA. The payloads will collect scientific information on lunar topography, mineralogy, the abundance of elements, the lunar exosphere and signatures of hydroxyl and water-ice.

More Complex than NASA's Apollo Mission
ISRO claimed that the mission is much more complex than NASA's Apollo mission, as the lander will have to land at a pre-determined site at very specific time; i.e. very soon after the sun rises on the Earth's natural satellite due to the six-wheeled rover, which is powered by solar energy. However, ISRO has yet to reveal how it has planned the landing time as the landing site is near the South Pole. The rover will collect information for at least 14 Earth-days and cover an area with a 400-metre radius. The instruments on the rover will conduct the in-situ (on site) analysis of elements such as sodium, magnesium, aluminium, silicon, etc. and the distribution of water on the moon's surface.

ISRO emphasised that the mission will expand India's footprint in space. "The Moon is a perfect test bed for providing technologies required for future space exploration as well as in-situ resource utilisation," ISRO added.

Notably, the success rate for lunar landing missions is less than 50%, as 27 of the 47 lunar landings attempted have failed. ISRO has already tested a model of the small (25 kg) Chandrayaan-2 rover for lunar-gravity operations for months.

Last-Moment Changes
Earlier, ISRO had planned a 22,000 km orbit for a 3.2 tonne spacecraft. At a later stage, however, because of the increase in mass, the orbit was increased to 37,000 km. ISRO also had to redesign the lander, as it was found only last year that there was some problem in landing.

Total Cost of the Mission
"This cost is almost half of $232 million, which would have been otherwise incurred if the same mission had to be launched from a foreign launching site," K. Sivan, ISRO chairman, had said last year during his discussion with India's Minister of State for Space Jitendra Singh in New Delhi.

Chandrayaan-2 was originally envisaged and approved by the Indian Government in September 2008 at a cost of approximately $92 million, excluding cost of GSLV rocket and Lander.

Foreign Partners
Initially, ISRO had planned to partner with Russia to conduct the Chandrayaan-2 mission. The two countries signed an agreement in 2007 to launch the orbiter and lander in 2013. As per the tie-up, Russia was supposed to provide the lander for the mission, while India would develop the rover and orbiter. ISRO had its prototype ready for a 2013 launch but somehow the lander' delivery could not be expedited as required. Following the failure of the Russian-led interplanetary mission Phobos-Grunt, a sample return mission to Phobos (one of the moons of Mars), decisions were taken by the Russian space agency ROSCOSMOS to increase the reliability of their planetary missions. This would result in an increase in the mass of the moon lander. In accordance with suggestions made by Indian scientists, ISRO decided to go it alone in the mission. Some reports stated that NASA and the European Space Agency were interested in participating, but ISRO proceeded with the mission on its own.

Indian-Made Content
ISRO has distributed lots of work to private and state-owned units related to the mission. However, it hasn't revealed the work share as of now. State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited supplied the Orbiter Craft Module structure, which is a 3-tonne category bus structure made out of a central composite cylinder, shear webs and deck panels.

First Mission
ISRO launched its first moon mission, Chandrayaan-I, in October 2008. The mission had five payloads from India, three from Europe, two from the US, and one from Bulgaria. Although the mission was expected to last two years, it only lasted for roughly 10 months after the orbiter stopped communicating with the station in August 2009.

Source: RIA Novosti


Related Links
Indian Space Research Organisation
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


MOON DAILY
Study finds new Luna wrinkles
Pasadena CA (JPL) May 14, 2019
Billions of years ago, Earth's Moon formed vast basins called "mare" (pronounced MAR-ay)*. Scientists have long assumed these basins were dead, still places where the last geologic activity occurred long before dinosaurs roamed Earth. But a survey of more than 12,000 images reveals that at least one lunar mare has been cracking and shifting as much as other parts of the Moon - and may even be doing so today. The study adds to a growing understanding that the Moon is an actively changing world. ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

MOON DAILY
NASA's MRO Completes 60,000 Trips Around Mars

How the Sun pumps out water from Mars into space

New water cycle on Mars discovered

For InSight, dust cleanings will yield new science

MOON DAILY
Researchers find ice feature on Saturn's giant moon

Giant planets and big data: What deep learning reveals about Saturn's storms

Deep learning takes Saturn by storm

NASA's Cassini Reveals Surprises with Titan's Lakes

MOON DAILY
NASA's New Horizons Team Publishes First Kuiper Belt Flyby Science Results

Brazilian scientists investigate dwarf planet's ring

Next-Generation NASA Instrument Advanced to Study the Atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune

Public Invited to Help Name Solar System's Largest Unnamed World

MOON DAILY
Oscar Avalos Dreams in Titanium

House committee limits Space Development Agency funding, asks for detailed plans

Trump, NASA want another $1.6 billion to return America to the moon

NASA Awards $106 Million to US Small Businesses for Technology Development

MOON DAILY
Monitoring the lifecycle of tiny catalyst nanoparticles

Fast and selective optical heating for functional nanomagnetic metamaterials

2D gold quantum dots are atomically tunable with nanotubes

Harnessing microorganisms for smart microsystems

MOON DAILY
Rocket Lab to launch rideshare mission for Spaceflight

SpaceX's Dragon Cargo capsule docks with Space Station

SpinLaunch Breaks Ground for New Test Facility at Spaceport America

Ariane 6 series production begins with first batch of 14 launchers

MOON DAILY
China develops new-generation rockets for upcoming missions

China's Yuanwang-7 departs for space monitoring missions

China's tracking ship Yuanwang-2 starts new mission after retirement

China to build moon station in 'about 10 years'

MOON DAILY
Louisiana-based Geocent's Advanced Aerospace Materials to Fly Aboard International Space Station

Elkem's Silgrain Powering Space Exploration and Research

Mission-Saving NASA Instrument Secures New Flight Opportunity; Slated for Significant Upgrade

BAE Systems Radiation-hardened Electronics in Orbit a Total of 10,000 Years









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.