How ISROs second moon mission puts India in top space league
How ISROs second moon mission puts India in top space league
BusinessToday.In
- Jul 15, 2019,
- Updated Sep 6, 2019 7:47 PM IST
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Chandrayaan 2's soft landing on moon is aimed at fostering a new age of space discovery. Here is the significance of ISRO's second moon mission.
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Do we know the moon?In a statement, Isro said that through the launch of Chandrayaan-2 mission, the space agency aims to improve the understanding of the Moon, which, it said, could lead to discoveries that will benefit India and humanity as a whole.
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The water angleThe earth and its satellite moon are believed to have had a common origin. The mineral composition of their surfaces points to conjoined past. Water is a strong link between the two celestial objects. Isro says, "Evidence for water molecules discovered by Chandrayaan-1, requires further studies on the extent of water molecule distribution on the surface, below the surface and in the tenuous lunar exosphere to address the origin of water on the moon."
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ISRO's most complex missionChandrayaan 2 has been described as one of the most complex ever undertaken by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). "Chandrayaan 2 is going to be the most complex mission that Isro has undertaken so far. Scientifically, it is a follow on mission to confirm data from Chandrayaan 1. It is going to be a big motivator for the young scientific groups," former Isro chief G Madhavan Nair said.
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A special missionIt is the first Indian expedition to attempt a soft landing on the lunar surface with home-grown technology. It is the first Indian mission to explore the lunar terrain with home-grown technology. It is the fourth country ever to soft land on the lunar surface.
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A home away from earth?Isro hopes that the moon could form the base for fuel and oxygen and other critical raw materials. And, if the moon can be considered a pit-stop for resources including water, space transportation could be more affordable. Finding a home away from the earth may not be that far in the future!
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Why is the moon's South Pole interesting?
"The lunar South Pole is especially interesting because of the lunar surface area here that remains in shadow [and] is much larger than that at the North Pole. There is a possibility of the presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around it. In addition, the South Pole region has craters that are cold traps and contain a fossil record of the early solar system," explains Isro.