ISRO aims to launch Chandrayaan-2 by April

If the April launch of the Chandrayaan-2, the country’s second mission to the Moon, is not possible, then the ISRO will aim for a launch by October. 

“We are aiming for the launch of Chandrayaan-2 in April. In case we are unable to do so, then we will try for a launch by October,” Indian Space Research Organisation chairman K Sivan told reporters here. The Chandrayaan-2 satellite would comprise an orbiter, lander and six-wheeled rover which would move around the landing site and instruments on it would send back data that would be useful in analysing the lunar soil. 

After reaching the lunar orbit, the Lander housing the rover will separate from the orbiter. After a controlled descent, the lander will soft land on the lunar surface at a specified site and deploy the rover. Sivan said scientists were also gearing up for the launch of communication satellite GSAT-6 on-board GSLV-F08, scheduled later this month. “Our immediate plan is a GSLV flight. We are planning to launch it by the end of this month. After that we plan to launch navigation satellite IRNSS-1I,” he said. 

The GSAT-6A is a communication satellite which will provide a platform for developing technologies. It would be useful in satellite based mobile communication applications. The IRNSS-1I is the eighth satellite to join the NavIC Navigation satellite constellation, which would be sent to a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit on-board PSLV as the previous IRNSS1H launched on August 31, 2017 had become an “unsuccessful” mission.