BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - The Earth's nearest neighbor is Moon. So far, three nations - the United States, Russia, and China - have successfully landed their spacecraft on the Moon. But the U.S. is the only country to have conducted 6 manned Moon landings.
Except for China's robotic spacecraft Chang'e-4, all the other Moon missions, be it manned or unmanned, have landed on the near side of the Moon, i.e., the Earth-facing side. China is the only country to have successfully landed its spacecraft on the far side of the moon on January 3, 2019.
Another historic first in the Moon mission is only hours away when India's spacecraft lands on the Moon.
The spacecraft named Chandrayaan-2 is expected to touch down near the unexplored Moon's South Pole on September 7, 2019, between 0130 - 0230 hrs IST. No spacecraft has ever landed on this resource-rich region before.
India's Chandrayaan 2, carried by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III (GSLV Mk-III), was launched into space from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on July 22, 2019.
Chandrayaan-2 consists of three components namely an Orbiter, a Lander named Vikram and a Rover, which is a 6-wheeled robotic vehicle named Pragyan.
Blasting off at a velocity of 39,240 kilometers per hour, Chandrayaan 2 entered the lunar orbit on August 20, 2019, and is now only hours away from touching down on the Moon's surface.
According to Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the space agency of India, 'on the day of landing, the Lander (Vikram) will separate from the Orbiter and then will perform a series of complex maneuvers comprising of rough braking and fine braking. Imaging of the landing site region prior to landing will be done for finding safe and hazard-free zones.
'The Rover (Pragyan) will roll out and carry out experiments on the lunar surface for a period of 1 lunar day which is equal to 14 Earth days. The mission life of Vikram is also 1 lunar day. The Orbiter will continue its mission for a duration of one year'.
Studies of lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, and signatures of water ice are the primary objectives of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, whose cost is about US$141 million (?978 crore).
As India nears the Moon moment, here's wishing the mission a grand success.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2019 AFX News
