THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 28 August 2019 (Chandrayaan-2 another step closer to Moon, enters new lunar orbit (The Hindu))

Chandrayaan-2 another step closer to Moon, enters new lunar orbit (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 3: Science and Tech
Prelims level: Chandrayaan-2
Mains level: Chandrayaan-2 manoeuvres observation

Context

• Chandrayaan-2 launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 22.
• Chandrayaan-2, which carries a dream of placing a rover on the lunar surface, has lowered its orbit around the Moon with just days to go for the D-Day when the lander Vikram will separate from the spacecraft.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation successfully carried out a manoeuvre Wednesday morning, placing Chandrayaan-2 into an elliptical orbit of about 200 km x 1,500 km around the Moon.
• The third lunar bound orbit manoeuvre for Chandrayaan-2 was completed successfully at around 9:30 am, putting the spacecraft in an orbit achieved of 179 km x 1412 km. The next lunar bound orbit manoeuvre is  scheduled on August 30.

Background

• At the closest point of the new orbit, Chandrayaan-2 is 179 kms away from the lunar surface; at the farthest the spacecraft is 1412 kms away from the Moon. The orbit manoeuvre performed Wednesday morning was the third such operation carried out around the Moon.
• Chandrayaan-2 will perform two more similar manoeuvres later this week to bring itself even closer to the Moon. By the evening of Saturday, September 1, Chandrayaan-2 will be in a near circular orbit of 114 km x 128 km around the Moon.
• A day later on September 2, the lander Vikram will separate from the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft and get into an orbit of its own around the Moon. And then on September 7, Vikram will being a 15-minute powered descent to land near the lunar south pole, where it will set free the six-wheeled Pragyaan rover.

India's second moon mission

• India's second mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-2 launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 22. The Chandrayaan-2 mission consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover.
• The orbiter will revolve around the Moon for around a year, studying the satellite's outer atmosphere. The rover, on the other hand, will roam area near the lunar south pole for around 14 Earth days, carrying out surface and sub-surface experiments.
• Chandrayaan-2 will make India only the fourth country in the world to land a rover on the Moon and the only country in the world to perform a 'soft landing' in the lunar south pole region.

Water

• One of the key focus areas of the Chandrayaan-2 mission is water on the Moon. Chandrayaan-2's predecessor Chandrayaan-1 made history in 2008 when it confirmed the presence of water on the Moon.
• With Chandrayaan-2, the Indian Space Research Organisation aims to further Chandrayaan-1's discovery of water on the Moon. And, Chandrayaan-2's landing site has been chosen keeping this goal in mind.

Conclusion

• The Moon's south polar region has not received sunlight for billions of years, making it a prime area to house water.
• Over its 14-day mission period, the six-wheeled Pragyaan will conduct several experiments to determine the extent to which water is present on the Moon.
• The other experiments that Chandrayaan-2 will perform will aim to expand humanity's understanding of the origins of the Solar System.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) The Headquarter of World Meterological Organism is located at,

a) Geneva
b) Rome
c) Sidney
d) Tokyo

Correct Answer: A
Mains Questions:
Q.1) What are major objectives behind orbit manoeuvre by Chandrayaan-2?