E-Paper
Chandrayaan-2 completes year around moon, good to go for another 7
Chandrayaan-2 was launched for detailed studies of topography, mineralogy, surface chemical composition etc
India’s second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 has completed a year around the moon in the lunar orbit. The orbiter has completed 4,400 orbits around the moon and all its instruments are currently performing well, a statement by Indian Space Research Organisation said.
“The spacecraft is healthy and performance of subsystems are normal…there is adequate onboard fuel to remain operational for about seven years,” it said.
During the past year, Chandrayaan-2 acquired images during 220 orbits consisting of nearly 4 million sq. km area of moon surface. It also has images of Balmer-Kapteyn (B-K) basin region which is located on the east limb of the moon. This area is of scientific importance as it contains a type of light plains deposit that appears to lie on the top of an ancient basaltic surface.
Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM) has been operational in-orbit from September 2019 and has observed several flares, including many low-intensity events. “Modelling these spectra with theoretical models help us in understanding the evolution of physical properties of the Corona during solar flares,” the statement said.
Chandrayaan-2 was launched for detailed studies of topography, mineralogy, surface chemical composition etc “Chandrayaan-2 was launched on July 22, 2019 and inserted into the lunar orbit on August 20, 2019, exactly one year ago. Though the soft-landing attempt was not successful, the orbiter, which was equipped with eight scientific instruments, was successfully placed in the lunar orbit,” ISRO said, adding that evidence from Chandrayaan-1 on the extensive presence of surface water and the indication for subsurface polar water-ice deposits, argues for more focused studies on the extent of water on the surface.
