On August 20, the Indian automatic lunar station "Chandrayan-2", after a four-week flight, entered the calculated trajectory of movement around the moon. This was reported by the Indian National Space Agency ISRO.

According to the agency, the duration of the maneuver was 1,738 seconds.

  • Launch of the GSLV Mk.III missile with the Chandrayan-2 mission apparatus
  • Reuters
  • © Indian Space Research Organization

After the station completed entering a stable lunar orbit, ISRO Chairman Dr. Kailasavadivu Sivan stated that this successful maneuver was a key step in the work of Chandrayan-2, since even a small mistake related to changes in speed or altitude “would kill the mission ".

Now the Indian ship will have to make four more course corrections, after which it should descend to a height of 30-100 km above the surface of the moon. Then, the Vikram (Valor) landing vehicle with the Pragyan (Wisdom) lunar rover will detach from the orbital module.

“The landing module will crash on September 7th. We have done everything possible for this, ”Dr. Sivan said during a press conference.

The apparatus’s landing is planned in the area of ​​the Earth’s satellite’s South Pole between the craters of Manzini and Simpelius.

As previously reported in the Indian Space Agency, among the main tasks of the mission is to study the composition of lunar ice and its origin. In addition, it is planned to study the fossils of the early Solar System, located among the so-called "cold traps" - the depths of the craters of the South Pole, where sunlight does not fall.

Also, the orbital module will perform detailed photography of the lunar surface throughout the year.

  • South pole of the moon
  • NASA

Indian scientists expect that after a series of topographic studies and analysis of materials, it will be possible to shed light on the origin of the moon and the history of its evolution.

Recall, the Chandrayan-2 automatic station successfully launched from the Shrikharikot cosmodrome on July 22. However, the launch was postponed several times for technical reasons.

It is worth noting that in recent years, India has paid great attention to its space program, and the lunar mission has become one of its central projects. The MkIII launcher (GSLV), which launched the Chandrayan-2 into space, as well as the ship itself, which includes the orbital, landing modules and moon rover, are fully designed and manufactured in India.

ISRO believes that the Moon is a promising test bench for testing the technologies needed to perform tasks in deep space. After a hard landing in 2008 of the Chandrayan-1 module, the Indians plan to rehabilitate their lunar program: if the current mission is successful, then India will be able to claim the status of the fourth lunar power and will “inspire the next generation of researchers and scientists,” the website of the space agency says. .

Recall that in 2014, India managed to launch the satellite into Martian orbit, and the country's Prime Minister Narendra Modi previously announced his intention to launch a manned mission into space by 2022.