<p class="title">The Chandrayaan-2 moon mission took another step closer to the moon early Friday morning. At 1.08 am, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) successfully performed the Mission's second orbit-raising manoeuvre within the influence of Earth's gravity. <br /><br />Five such manoeuvres are planned within the Earth-bound phase. Since its launch from Sriharikota on July 22, Chandrayaan-2 has been going around the planet on an elliptical orbit. On Wednesday, the first orbit-raising had placed the Mission at a distance of 230 x 45,163 km. <br /><br />When it reached the farthest point on this orbit from Earth (called apogee), the Mission's onboard propulsion system was fired to increase the apogee. The new orbit is at 251 x 54,829 km. On launch day, Chandrayaan-2 had been pushed to an orbit 6,000 km than planned by the GSLV Mk III. <br /><br />This worked to Isro's advantage. The space agency's chairman, K Sivan had noted that the powerful rocket launcher, also dubbed 'Baahubali' for its massive size, had performed beyond expectations, thus saving fuel and time. <br /><br />To achieve Friday's second orbit-raising, the onboard propulsion system was fired for a duration of 883 seconds. “All spacecraft parameters are normal. The third orbit raising manoeuvre is scheduled on July 29, 2019, between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm,” an Isro statement said. <br /><br />Despite a 'technical snag' that aborted the first planned launch in the last-hour, Isro had quickly corrected the faults and launched the Mission at 2.43 pm on July 22. The launch window was a narrow one-minute, but the rocket launcher had taken off with the 3,850 kg spacecraft seamlessly. <br /><br />Once the Mission completes its Earth-bound phase, a Trans Lunar Insertion has been scheduled for August 14. Following a week-long trajectory, Chandrayaan-2 is expected to enter the Moon's orbit on August 20. A Lunar Bound Phase will follow before a soft-landing on September 7. <br /><br />Unlike GSLV Mk III that was beyond Isro's control after launch, the spacecraft itself is monitored and controlled 24/7 by an Isro team. Every orbit height is simulated and recalculated on an hourly basis, according to Isro officials. </p>
<p class="title">The Chandrayaan-2 moon mission took another step closer to the moon early Friday morning. At 1.08 am, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) successfully performed the Mission's second orbit-raising manoeuvre within the influence of Earth's gravity. <br /><br />Five such manoeuvres are planned within the Earth-bound phase. Since its launch from Sriharikota on July 22, Chandrayaan-2 has been going around the planet on an elliptical orbit. On Wednesday, the first orbit-raising had placed the Mission at a distance of 230 x 45,163 km. <br /><br />When it reached the farthest point on this orbit from Earth (called apogee), the Mission's onboard propulsion system was fired to increase the apogee. The new orbit is at 251 x 54,829 km. On launch day, Chandrayaan-2 had been pushed to an orbit 6,000 km than planned by the GSLV Mk III. <br /><br />This worked to Isro's advantage. The space agency's chairman, K Sivan had noted that the powerful rocket launcher, also dubbed 'Baahubali' for its massive size, had performed beyond expectations, thus saving fuel and time. <br /><br />To achieve Friday's second orbit-raising, the onboard propulsion system was fired for a duration of 883 seconds. “All spacecraft parameters are normal. The third orbit raising manoeuvre is scheduled on July 29, 2019, between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm,” an Isro statement said. <br /><br />Despite a 'technical snag' that aborted the first planned launch in the last-hour, Isro had quickly corrected the faults and launched the Mission at 2.43 pm on July 22. The launch window was a narrow one-minute, but the rocket launcher had taken off with the 3,850 kg spacecraft seamlessly. <br /><br />Once the Mission completes its Earth-bound phase, a Trans Lunar Insertion has been scheduled for August 14. Following a week-long trajectory, Chandrayaan-2 is expected to enter the Moon's orbit on August 20. A Lunar Bound Phase will follow before a soft-landing on September 7. <br /><br />Unlike GSLV Mk III that was beyond Isro's control after launch, the spacecraft itself is monitored and controlled 24/7 by an Isro team. Every orbit height is simulated and recalculated on an hourly basis, according to Isro officials. </p>
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