India set to launch their Second Moon Mission Monday morning AEST (21:21 UTC 14/7/19)
Chandrayaan-2 is India’s second lunar exploration mission after Chandrayaan-1.
The craft was developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO),and the mission is planned to be launched to the Moon by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III).
It includes a lunar orbiter, lander and rover, all developed in India.
Chandrayaan-2 will attempt to soft land a lander and rover in a high plain between two craters, Manzinus C and Simpelius N, at a latitude of about 70° south.
The wheeled rover will move on the lunar surface and will perform on-site chemical analysis.
The data can be relayed to Earth through the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter as well as lander, which will fly on the same launch.
A successful landing would make India the 4th country to soft-land on the Moon, a feat achieved only by the space agencies of the US, USSR, and China.
If successful, Chandrayaan-2 will be the First ever mission to soft land near the lunar south pole.
