Chandrayaan-2 moon orbit update: India spacecraft takes 'important step' in mission that could make history

Ewan Somerville20 August 2019

India's second lunar mission has entered orbit around the Moon, nearly a month after jetting off in its attempt to make history.

The Chandrayaan-2 craft successfully completed a complex manoeuvre in around 30 minutes, powering into its planned path around the rocky world at 4.32am UK time on Tuesday.

India's prime minister Narendra Modi hailed it "an important step in the landmark journey" towards renewed exploration of Earth's closest - and still to this day elusive - neighbour.

It means the country's £116 million effort to be the first to land on the Moon's south pole is in motion, with the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) confident it will pull it off.

The Chandrayaan-2 mission could make history if it reaches the lunar surface
AP

"Whatever is humanly possible, has been done by us," Kailasavadivoo ​ Sivan, the group's chief, told reporters.

The mission was initially blighted by technical issues, forcing the scheduled lift-off of Chandrayaan-2 from Sriharikota space station to be pushed back a week from 22 July.

But the craft has now made the 239,000 mile trip to the Moon and successfully navigated the tricky process to get into orbit.

Formed of three parts - an orbiter, a lander and a rover - the craft's speed needed to be "just right" to ensure it entered orbit at the correct angle, which scientists managed to achieve using a jet-propulsion system on board.

Mr Sivan, the man leading the mission, described the nail-biting moment the craft went into orbit
AFP/Getty Images

Mr Sivan said the margin for mistakes was fine, as "even a small error would have killed the mission".

"Our heartbeats increased... for 30 minutes, our hearts almost stopped," he said.

Chandrayaan-2 will now twist and turn its way through various other tasks over the next few weeks, as it prepares to land on the lunar surface.

If it does manage to land safely, the probe's task will be to find and analyse any water and minerals on the Moon, a challenge that has excited the scientific community given little is known about the rocky south pole.

The Chandrayaan-2 mission could make history if it reaches the lunar surface
AP

India built its most powerful rocket eve for the launch, weighing 640 tonnes and rising as tall as a 14-storey building.

An orbiter, expected to last a year in operation, will photograph the lunar surface while a smaller lander carries instruments to analyse lunar soil.

Completing the mission line-up is a rover which will scale the Moon, capable of veering 500m from the lander, and of beaming images and data back to Earth.

India's first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1, used radar technology to make the first and, to date, most comprehensive search for water on the Moon - without even landing on the surface.

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