Bengaluru : The Chandrayaan 2 mission to land an Indian lander and rover on the moon's surface has been spectacularly successful launch since its launch on 22 July. As of 6 September, the spacecraft's landing module (a composite of the lunar lander Vikram, and rover Pragyan) separated and entered independent orbits around the moon.
In the week leading up to the landing, ISRO carried out four successful in-orbit manoeuvres to bring the landing module closer it the moon's surface for its powered descent and landing.
If everything goes smoothly, the Vikram lander is scheduled to begin its descent at 1.40 am IST on 7 September. The propulsion system of the lander will play an important task here, breaking the velocity of the lander in a controlled fashion. The engines will be shut off well before the spacecraft touches the moon's surface.
From the 30 km orbit the lander will use till the landing is a 15-minute window of "terror", This 15-minute flight is one that ISRO has never attempted before, making Chandrayaan 2 the most complex mission ISRO has ever undertaken, in the view of ISRO's Chairman Dr K Sivan
In the final seconds before landing, the Vikram lander will be assisted only by the moon's gravity and not the spacecraft's thrusters. This move will help the lander avoid the mini-plume of lunar dust from covering the lander — and more importantly, its solar panels. You can watch the same live on DD National or ISRO's youtube channel at 1 am on September 7.
