Chandrayaan 2 is an Indian mission to explore the Moon. It is the second mission after Chandrayaan 1. It is made up of two words – Chandra and Yaan. Chandra means moon and Yaan means spacecraft. A spacecraft is a vehicle which can be sent to outer space. Chandrayaan 2 is developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Chandrayaan 2 was launched on 22 July 2019. It was launched from the ‘Satish Dhawan Space Centre’ which is located in Andhra Pradesh state. The spacecraft consisted of three devices. There was a Lunar Orbiter, Vikram lander and the Pragyan lunar rover.
An Orbiter is a craft which rotates around a planet or other objects in space. This Orbiter had eight instruments including a camera. A lander is a part which goes and sits on the surface of the planet in space. This mission’s lander was called Vikram. Vikram lander detached from the orbiter. After that, it started moving towards the surface of the Moon. Unfortunately, Vikram lander crash-landed.
A Rover is a device which can move on the surface of the bodies in the space from one place to another. Pragyan Lunar rover was powered by solar energy. It had six wheels. Its speed was one cm per second.
There were many objectives for this mission. The first goal was to show the ability of a lander to land softly and operate the rover like a robot on the surface. It could tell us about the shape of the surface, amount of minerals and the existence of water on the moon. The mission was also to create a 3D map of the surface and study the nature of the soil of the moon.
The unique thing about this mission was its cost-effectiveness. It was very cheap when compared to the moon missions of other countries. It shows the brilliance of our Indian scientists.
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Questions on Chandrayaan
What is the use of Chandrayaan 2?
The first goal was to show the ability of a lander to land softly and operate the rover like a robot on the surface. It could tell us about the shape of the surface, amount of minerals and the existence of water on the moon.
What is the meaning of Chandrayaan?
It is made up of two words – Chandra and Yaan. Chandra means moon and Yaan means spacecraft.
What is Vikram Lander?
A lander is a part which goes and sits on the surface of the planet in space. This mission’s lander was called Vikram. Vikram lander detached from the orbiter. After that, it started moving towards the surface of the Moon. It is named after Dr Vikram A Sarabhai is known as the father of Indian Space Programme.
