GSLV Mk III during liftoff. All images by isro.gov.in

In a couple of hours from now, Chandrayaan 2 mission is scheduled to land on the moon. If successful, India will create a space history.

A successful landing would make India the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, after the space agencies of the USSR, the USA and China. A successful rover operation will make India the third country to operate a robotic rover on the Moon. If successful, Chandrayaan-2 will be the southernmost lunar landing, aiming to land at 67°S or 70°S latitude.

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Pragyan Rover mounted on the ramp projecting from out of the sides of vikram lander

On 22 July 2019 at 2.43 PM IST, Chandrayaan-2 mission was launched to the Moon from Satish Dhawan Space Centre by a GSLV Mk III rocket.

The Chandrayaan-2 mission consists of a lunar orbiter, a lander named Vikram, and a lunar rover named Pragyan, all of which have been developed in India.

The lander and the rover is scheduled to land on the south polar region of the moon. The Pragyan rover will move on the lunar surface and will perform on-site chemical analysis for 14 days (one lunar day). The orbiter will perform its mission for one year.

The touchdown on the Moon's south polar region will be between 1.30 a.m. - 2.30 a.m., ISRO said.

Chandrayaan2 Orbiter

The main scientific objective of the mission is to map the location and abundance of lunar water.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be at the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru on Saturday to watch the final descent of Chandrayaan-2 on the Moon's surface.

Modi said the Chandrayaan-2 mission was "Indian at heart, Indian in spirit! What would make every Indian overjoyed is the fact that it is a fully indigenous mission".

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