Chandrayaan 2 had lifted off from India's spaceport at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on July 22.
India's moonshot Chandrayaan 2 has been successfully manoeuvred into lunar orbit today, after nearly 30 days of space travel. This was one of the trickiest operations in the mission. A higher-than-expected approach velocity would have bounced off the spacecraft into deep space, while a slow approach would have led to the moon's gravity to pull Chandrayaan 2 and crash it on the lunar surface. The approach velocity had to be just right and the altitude over the moon rather precise. Even a small error would have killed the mission. The process of setting down Chandrayaan 2 on the moon is very complex since it blasted off at a velocity of 39,240 kilometres per hour, which is almost 30 times the speed at which sound travels through air. India's most ambitious space mission to date, Chandrayaan 2 had lifted off from India's spaceport at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on July 22. The lift-off was successful in its second attempt, a week after it was aborted just under an hour from its launch due to a technical glitch. The mission stands out because of its low cost, with just about Rs. 1,000 crore spent - a much smaller price tag compared to similar missions by other countries.
Here are the LIVE Updates of ISRO's moon mission Chandrayaan 2:
PM Modi Tweets Congratulations
Congratulations to Team ISRO on Chandrayaan2 entering the Moon's orbit. This is an important step in the landmark journey to the Moon.
Best wishes for its successful culmination.
Israel Congratulates India
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Congratulated ISRO scientists on successful insertion of Chandrayaan 2 into the Lunar Orbit.
Heart Stopping Moments"Our hearts stopped for 30 minutes till the job was done... Three more manoeuvres are to be completed. The next is tomorrow around 1 pm. The big event is on September 2 when the lander will be separated," a visibly excited ISRO Chairman K Sivan told reporters today.
While ending his speech, the ISRO chief said, "On September 7, at 1:55 am lander will land on the moon. Whatever is humanly possible, has been done by us."
The next event will happen on September 2 when the lander will be separated from the orbiter. On September 3 we will have a small maneuver for about 3 seconds to ensure that the systems of the lander are running normally.
On August 14, 2019 A Very Important Manoeuvre Happened
Dr. K. Sivan, Chairman, ISRO said, "After the launch of the mission on July 22, 5 earth bound orbits happened. On August 14, 2019 at 2:21 am, a very important manoeuvre happened. On August 19, 2019 around 2 pm the moon also got near the mission and then it entered the orbit."
As Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft entered the moon's orbit this morning, executing one of the trickiest manoeuvres on its historic mission to the moon, space agency ISRO said the move was completed in 1738 seconds. The milestone was achieved after nearly a month of space travel. "Nearing our destination," tweeted ISRO, as it gave updates of the make-or-break process. The insertion "was completed successfully today at 0902 hrs IST (0332 GMT) as planned, using the onboard propulsion system. The duration of manoeuver was 1738 seconds," the space agency said.
After the launch of the mission on July 22, 5 earth bound orbits happened. On 14 August at 2:21 am, a very important manoeuvre happened. On August 19 around 2 pm the moon also got near the mission and then it entered the orbit, Dr. K. Sivan, Chairman, ISRO.
"A higher-than-expected approach velocity would have bounced off the spacecraft into deep space, while a slow approach would have led to the moon's gravity to pull Chandrayaan 2 and crash it on the lunar surface. The approach velocity had to be just right and the altitude over the moon rather precise. Even a small error would have killed the mission," says Dr. K. Sivan, Chairman, ISRO.
Chandrayaan 2 Is Going Around Moon With An Inclination Of 88 DegreesNow the Chandrayaan 2 is going around moon with an inclination of 88 degrees. In due course this orbit will be brought down and at that time the inclination will achieve 90 degrees, Dr. K. Sivan, Chairman, ISRO.
Dr. K. Sivan, Chairman, ISRO is now addressing a press conference over Chandrayaan 2. "The spacecraft reached a major milestone today. The maneuver that took around 30 mins. Put it in defined orbit in the perfect manner. Now it will be going around the moon with inclination of 88 degrees," he says.
The next Lunar bound orbit maneuver is scheduled tomorrow for August 21, 2019, between 1230-13:30 hrs IST. There will be four more orbit manoeuvres, which will take the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into its final orbit of the Moon. This process of manoeuvering in the lunar orbit will be taking place from August 21 to September 1.
Lunar Orbit Insertion maneuver was completed successfully today as planned, using the onboard propulsion system. The duration of maneuver was 1738 seconds. With this, Chandrayaan-2 was successfully inserted into a Lunar orbit. The orbit achieved is 114 km x 18072 km. Following this, a series of orbit maneuvers will be performed on Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft to enable it to enter its final orbit passing over the lunar poles at a distance of about 100 km from the Moon's surface.
Chandrayaan 2 successfully placed in the moon orbit.
ISRO chairman Dr K Sivan to brief media at 11 am.
After nearly 30 days of space travel, India's moonshot Chandrayaan 2 is nearing its target. In a make-or-break effort, the Indian space agency ISRO will manoeuvre the spacecraft into the lunar orbit between 8:30 to 9:30 am on Tuesday. This is one of the most tricky operations in the mission because if the satellite approaches the Moon at a higher-than-expected velocity it will bounce off it and get lost in deep space. But If it approaches at a slow velocity, the Moon's gravity will pull the Chandrayaan 2 and it might crash into the surface.
The former director of the ISRO satellite centre Dr M Annadurai, who was the head of India's first Moon mission Chandrayaan 1, described the complexity of the ongoing operation saying, "It is like a gentleman with a rose in hand proposing to a lady who is dancing at a stunning speed of 3,600 kilometres per hour (almost five times the speed of an airplane), and not next door, but at a distance of 3.84 lakh kilometres away. If the couple have to meet, then the precision and accuracy is of utmost importance."
The process of setting down Chandrayaan 2 on the Moon is very complex since it blasted off at a velocity of 39,240 kilometres per hour, which is almost 30 times the speed at which sound travels through air. ISRO chairman Dr K Sivan said, "One can imagine even a small error can make Chandrayaan 2 miss its rendezvous with the Moon."
The approach velocity has to be just right and the altitude over the Moon rather precise for the operation to go off as planned. Even a small error can kill the mission. With a few hundred kilometres to the Moon, the satellite will be re-oriented and slowed down by just the right amount so that the Moon can capture the spacecraft and bring Chandrayaan 2 in its embrace. After coasting in the lunar orbit for about a fortnight, the big Moon landing is scheduled for September 7.
After nearly 30 days of space travel, India's moonshot Chandrayaan 2 is nearing its target. In a make-or-break effort, the Indian space agency ISRO will manoeuvre the spacecraft into the lunar orbit between 8:30 to 9:30 am on Tuesday. This is one of the most tricky operations in the mission because if the satellite approaches the Moon at a higher-than-expected velocity it will bounce off it and get lost in deep space. But If it approaches at a slow velocity, the Moon's gravity will pull the Chandrayaan 2 and it might crash into the surface.