India has successfully launched its 2nd-ever mission to the Moon
launch on top of the country’s most powerful rocket, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle , from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Chandrayaan-2 is not scheduled to arrive at the Moon until late August, reaching its destination by increasingly raising its orbit as it continually loops around Earth. The Apollo missions, by comparison, flew straight to the Moon in three days, using the more powerful Saturn V rocket. The mission is scheduled to enter orbit 30 days after launching, with the lander’s four-day descent to the surface beginning in early September. It will then use its landing legs to touch down at the Moon’s south pole on September 6 or 7 – theVisiting the south pole is important because it’s thought there could be permanently shadowed craters here with vast deposits of water-ice. Such resources could be useful for future human missions to the Moon.
The Pragyan rover, meanwhile, will roll down a ramp from the lander onto the surface and will travel up to half a kilometer throughout its mission, moving at about one centimeter per second. It will use an instrument to try and measure the composition of the surface, as well as returning images back to the lander to be transmitted back to Earth.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
India launches moon mission a week after it was abortedLIFTOFF: India successfully launches an unmanned spacecraft to the far side of the moon, a week after aborting the mission due to a technical problem. It will take around 47 days to travel before landing on the moon in September.
Read more »
Chandrayaan-2: India successfully launches Moon missionCNN News, delivered. Select from our newsletters below and enter your email to subscribe.
Read more »
India unlocks a $200 bln stressed debt marketThe country’s first comprehensive bankruptcy code has hit bumps with cases like the drawn-out takeover of Essar Steel. But the framework is starting to offer better recovery, prompting creditors to act sooner. That’s good news for lenders and investors like Apollo and Oaktree.
Read more »
Death toll from India, Nepal, Bangladesh floods jumps to over 300The death toll from severe flooding in parts of India, Nepal and Bangladesh rose...
Read more »