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Chandrayaan-2 successfully inserted into Lunar orbit
Why is it in news?
- The moon-bound Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft underwent a crucial orbit manoeuvre.
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- How will Lunar Orbit Insertion be useful?:(1) Orbit manoeuvre was carried out using the onboard propulsion system.(2) The move, called the Lunar Orbit Insertion, makes the spacecraft capture the lunar orbit and start going around the Moon.
- Next operations:(1) To enter the final orbit over the lunar poles, Chandrayaan-2 will undergo more such orbit maneuvers.(2) The lander Vikram will then separate from the Orbiter and perform complex braking maneuvers. It is expected to soft-land on the South Pole of the moon on September 7.
Chandrayaan-2 main components-Lander and Orbiter
- Lander-Vikram:(1)The lander is named Vikram (meaning valour, after the father of the Indian space programme, Vikram Sarabhai).(2) It will release a small robotic rover, named Pragyan (wisdom), to move around, feel and understand the lunar surface.(3) Vikram must gently descend on a harsh rugged lunar surface, without getting damaged.(4) It must also avoid landing in a shadowy patch. It needs sunlight for generating its power.(5) The moon’s constantly sunny side gets light for 14 Earth days or one lunar day.(6) The lander and the rover are expected to work for just that duration.
- Orbiter: The mother ship or the orbiter that carries Vikram and Pragyan will go around the moon at a distance of about 100 km, taking pictures and gathering surface information and sending them back to earth.
Source
The Hindu