Hyderabad: As India awaits historic soft-landing of Chandrayaan-2 in the lunar South pole, an 'emotional' orbiter bids adieu to the lander 'Vikram,' as the later begins its final descent.
In a cartoon strip released by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Vikram lander and the Orbiter can be seen exchanging wishes, as they mark the end of their 47-day journey, hours before the historic final step.
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We have the same wishes for Vikram, Orbiter.
— ISRO (@isro) September 6, 2019 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
Want to stay in touch with Vikram and Pragyan as they make their way to the untouched lunar South Pole and uncover its many mysteries? Then keep an eye out for the next edition of #CY2Chronicles! pic.twitter.com/2iA8W2lxtR
">We have the same wishes for Vikram, Orbiter.
— ISRO (@isro) September 6, 2019
Want to stay in touch with Vikram and Pragyan as they make their way to the untouched lunar South Pole and uncover its many mysteries? Then keep an eye out for the next edition of #CY2Chronicles! pic.twitter.com/2iA8W2lxtRWe have the same wishes for Vikram, Orbiter.
— ISRO (@isro) September 6, 2019
Want to stay in touch with Vikram and Pragyan as they make their way to the untouched lunar South Pole and uncover its many mysteries? Then keep an eye out for the next edition of #CY2Chronicles! pic.twitter.com/2iA8W2lxtR
The lander is now in an orbit that would be about 35 km from the lunar surface at its nearest point from where it will begin its final descent. ISRO has said Chandrayaan-2 will attempt to soft-land the lander and rover in a high plain between two craters, Manzinus C and Simpelius N, at a latitude of about 70 south.
Chandrayaan-2's landing module 'Vikram' will begin its final descent to pull off a historic soft landing on the lunar surface in the early hours of Saturday, as the Indian Space Research Organisation awaits with bated breath for the 'terrifying moment.'
'Vikram' with rover 'Pragyaan' housed inside is scheduled for a powered-descent between 1 am and 2 am on September 7, followed by its touchdown between 1.30 am and 2.30 am.
At an altitude of 10 metres, the ISRO will carry out the landers parabolic descent for soft landing by igniting the central engine and using the touchdown sensor at the bottom of the stand.
Soon after touchdown, ISRO will deploy the three payloads, named Chaste, Rambha and Ilsa.
Hours after touchdown, rover Pragyaan will roll out from inside the lander to carry out intense probe of the moon soil.
On the science front, the mission aims to further expand the knowledge about the moon through a detailed study of its topography, mineralogy, surface chemical composition, thermo-physical characteristics and atmosphere, leading to a better understanding of the origin and evolution of the moon.
Read: Chandrayaan-2's Vikram module set for final descent for historic soft landing
