Chandrayaan-2: Why every Indian's chest ought to swell in pride

New Delhi, July 15: At this moment, with little less than an hour left for Chandrayaan-2 launch, anxieties are running high. This is the most technically complex mission undertaken ever by ISRO. Of course Gaganyaan, which would be far more complex will follow in 2022, but for now Chandrayaan-2 is the most complex ISRO mission till date.

What everyone knows is this, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter will circle the moon and provide information about its surface. The Lander will soft-land on the lunar surface and unload the Rover to study and take measurements from the surface. The lander and rover on Chandrayaan-2 will touchdown at a site 600 kilometers from the lunar South pole.

Several state-of-art indigenous systems were conceived and realised in the areas of navigation, guidance, control, onboard autonomy, precision sensors, and intricate communication links involving orbiter, lander, rover, and ground systems for this mission

Important components of the modules of India's ambitious second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, to be launched on Monday, have been manufactured by a Union government-run centre. The Central Tool Room and Training Centre (CTTC) has manufactured 22 types of valves for fuel injection and other parts for the cryogenic engine of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III rocket, dubbed "fat boy" by Indian scientists for its ability to carry satellites weighing up to 4 tonnes, a top official said. Seven specific assemblies for navigation and inertial momentum of the orbiter and the limbs of the moon rover 'Pragyan' have also been manufactured by the centre.

Keeping communication links established continuously is a big technological challenge, considering massive distance of 3,84,400km between earth and moon. Ensuring trajectory accuracy for this far a distance while navigating the non-uniform gravitation pull of the Earth, the Moon, and other astronomical bodies is really a major technological challenge.