Missed by 0.0006%: What happened to Chandrayaan-2

India attempted to become the first country to conduct a soft-landing on the lunar south pole, but missed the history by just 0.0006 per cent. Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-2 mission successfully traveled the distance of 3,83,998 km out of 3,84,000 km between Earth and Moon, but tantalisingly failed just 2.1 km before the final touchdown on the lunar land.Isro lost contact with the lander Vikram during its descent to the Lunar surface, minutes before the planned touch-down. The status of the lander is still unknown, but the Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter is still in orbit of the Moon and working fine. Here is what may happen next and what we know so far about the mission:What's next:* Isro is analysing the communication data whether lander managed to get a soft landing or crash landing. * As certain communication channel is still on between the Lander and the Orbiter. There is still an outside chance that lander may have survived as it successfully completed the rough braking phase but lost communication with the ground stations during the fine braking phase.* In an official communication, ISRO had announced that Vikram lander descent was as planned and normal performance was observed up to an altitude of 2.1 km. Subsequently, communication from Lander to the ground stations was lost.* As the lander Vikram and the rover Pragyan were to function on the Moon for 14 days, if they may have made the successful landing, ISRO still has the chance to regain contact with the lander and continue the mission. * The lander can't survive the harsh condition of -180 degree temperature during the lunar nights, so it still has over 13 days to contact back the earth station. * Even if the lander may have been destroyed in case of a crash landing, the Chandyaan orbiter will continue to function and will keep sending images to Earth for the next one year. * The orbiter will also try to establish contact with the lander and try to locate its landing site while in orbit 100 km above the lunar surface. * The 2,379-kg orbiter carries eight scientific payloads for mapping the lunar surface and study the exosphere (outer atmosphere) of the Moon. * The learning from the Orbitor or possibly from lander will provide base for ISRO's future missions.* Isro plans to send an Indian astronauts to space on a spacecraft called the 'Gaganyaan' by 2022; an Orbiter mission planned for Mars between 2022 and 2023; another mission to Moon -- Chandrayaan-3 -- in late 2020s; Venus mission in 2023; Mission for Sun and for building Indian Space Station in the Earth orbit.What we know so far:* ISRO's plan to soft land Chandrayaan-2's Vikram module on the Lunar surface did not go as per script in the early hours of Saturday.* Final phase of "terrifying 15 minute" complex landing process was going on well till the successful rough braking phase.* Vikram lander's normal performance was observed up to an altitude of 2.1 km. Subsequently, communication from the lander to ground stations was lost.* India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, GSLV MkIII-M1 successfully launched the 3,840-kg Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into the Earth's orbit on July 22.* The spacecraft began its journey towards the moon leaving the earth's orbit in the dark hours on August 14* The spacecraft successfully entered the lunar orbit on August 20 by performing Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) manoeuvre.* On September 2, 'Vikram' successfully separated from the orbiter, following which two de-orbiting manoeuvres were performed to bring the lander closer to the Moon.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/2ZJmIEr