Just hours left for Chandrayaan-2 Moon-landing

Carrying a billion dreams, as the Chandrayaan-2 Lander prepares to touch down on the lunar surface less than 24 hours from now, the entire mission team has its attention riveted on the final 15 minutes. The final, unprecedented epoch-making descent will commence on September 7 at 1 am.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join a massive gathering of scientists, students, space buffs and the media in Bengaluru to witness the historic landing, live from the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC).

Click here for all the live updates on the Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander

For the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), the hours leading up to the descent would be a mix of extreme caution, precision and anxiety. A lot will depend on the Orbiter's onboard cameras focused on identifying the safest landing spot on the South polar region of the Moon.

The landing site will have to be flat. Anything beyond an angle of 12 degrees would be risky as the Lander could topple over and jeopardise the entire mission. If that happens, it could be extremely tough for the Rover, Pragyaan to roll out of Vikram three hours after impact.

But the scientists, both working and retired, are confident that the operation would be seamless. Isro Chairman K Sivan had claimed that everything 'humanly possible' was done to ensure that the entire mission targets are achieved flawlessly.

Vikram's powered descent between 1 am and 2 am on Saturday will be followed by the actual touchdown any time from 1.30 am to 2.30 am. The touchdown on the lunar surface will be unprecedented for Isro, but such a feat on the South pole would be a first for India.

Former Isro chairman G Madhavan Nair, who spearheaded the Chandrayaan-1 mission in 2008 is confident that the soft-landing would be a 100% success.

For Chandrayaan-1 project director, A Annadurai, the landing would mark the biggest natural progression of the mission. “We are keeping our fingers crossed on the landing site and the landing. Beyond the Lander, the Orbiter will give us vital information on the lunar surface for another two years,” he told DH.

On July 22, the Rs 978 crore Chandrayaan-2 Moon Mission had lifted off aboard the GSLV-Mk III launcher from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. Leaving the Earth's orbit on August 14, the spacecraft had entered the Lunar orbit six days later.