ISRO GSLV MkIII-M1 / Chandrayānam-2 (Chandrayaan-2) Mission: July 15, 2019

[d00od00o]

India Finally Admits Its Moon Lander Crashed, Cites Problem with Braking Thrusters
By Chelsea Gohd a day ago Spaceflight

This visualization shows how Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander planned to land on the moon.
India has finally made it official: the country's long-silent Chandrayaan-2 moon lander Vikram did, in fact, crash into the lunar surface in September, apparently because of an issue with its braking rockets.

In newly released details about India's attempted lunar landing on Sept. 6, the Indian government has revealed that the Vikram craft "hard landed" on the moon because of a problem with its braking thrusters. Until now, the India Space Research Organisation had disclosed only that it had lost contact with the probe.

The update was announced by Jitendra Singh, the minister of state for the Department of Space, in a written response to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's Parliament. The news was first reported by SpaceNews.

"The first phase of descent was performed nominally from an altitude of 30 km to 7.4 km (18 miles to 4.5 miles) above the moon surface," Singh wrote, describing the lander's descent, in which the craft slowed from 5,521 feet per second (1,683 meters per second) to 479 feet per second (146 m per second).

"During the second phase of descent, the reduction in velocity was more than the designed value," he continued. "Due to this deviation, the initial conditions at the start of the fine braking phase were beyond the designed parameters. As a result, Vikram hard landed within 500 m of the designated landing site," Singh said.

Video: The Moment India Lost Contact with the Vikram Moon Lander

Click here for more Space.com videos...
Communications Lost With India's Lunar Lander During Descent


This is the first time that the Indian government has formally acknowledged the crash landing.

On Sept. 10, following the loss of communication from what we now know was a crash on the moon, the ISRO announced that the "Vikram lander has been located by the orbiter of Chandrayaan-2, but no communication with it yet. All possible efforts are being made to establish communication with lander."

One explanation for why it has taken so long for the Indian government to formally recognize the crash is that, according to the ISRO, they were still trying to figure out exactly what happened. Engineers were working to reconstruct the events that led to the loss of communication with the lander and the ISRO was waiting until that work was done to make a formal announcement, S. Somanath, who directs the ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, said at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) on Oct. 21, according to a statement.

However, while Somanath held off on making any formal declarations about Vikram, he did recognize that the craft most likely hit the moon so fast that it was "beyond its survivability," he said in the statement.

• India's Chandrayaan-2 Mission to the Moon in Photos
• Amazing Moon Photos from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
• India's Chandrayaan-2 Spacecraft Snaps Its First Picture of the Moon

Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.



Need more space? Subscribe to our sister title "All About Space" Magazine for the latest amazing news from the final frontier! (Image credit: All About Space)
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

 

[Han Patriot]

Just friggin call it a crash. If it crashed, it crashed, nothing else. I think China is a jinx to these guys, whenever they try to replicats our missions, some shit happens, Chandrayaan 1 power sys got fried, and now this one crashed. The only bonys was Mars which we didnt really planned on exploring until our lunar program was complete, we actually had an earlier piggyback on Russian mission which thanks to Russian reliability, exploded.

 

[Hindustani78]

21-November, 2019 17:04 IST
Delhi
PIB-PTI

Preparations for Launch of Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project - Mission Chandrayaan-3...

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has Drawn Out a Roadmap of Lunar/Moon Exploration Missions to Master the Technologies Required.

This Roadmap has Been Presented to the Space Commission. Based on the Final Analysis and Recommendations of the Expert Committee, Work on Future Lunar/Moon Missions is Progressing.

The Expert Committee has Analyzed the Flight Data and Extensive Simulations were Carried Out to Re-Construct the Flight Behavior. The Recommendations of the Expert Committee will be Implemented in Future Lunar/Moon Missions.

Union Government of India, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Prime Minister Office Dr Shri Jitendra Singh,

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Development of North-Eastern Frontal Agency, Secretary

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Personnel & Public Grievances & Pensions, Secretary

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Atomic Energy, Secretary

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Secretary

in Written Reply to a Question in Sansad Bhavan,Rajya Sabha on Thursday, 21st November 2019.

 

[Hindustani78]

20-November, 2019 18:48 IST
Delhi
PIB - PTI

Launch of Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft-Chandrayaan-II...

The Approved Cost of Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft-Chandrayaan-II is Rs. 603 Crore (excluding Launch Cost).

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Chandrayaan-II was Launched On-Board

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Launch Vehicle - Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III M1(GSLV Mk-III M1).

The Cost of Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Launch Vehicle - Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III M1(GSLV Mk-III M1) is Rs. 367 Crore.

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft-Chandrayaan-II was Successfully Launched.

The Objectives of Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft-Chandrayaan-II Mission were:

Scientific Studies through Payloads On-Board the Orbiter,

Technology Demonstration of Soft Landing and Roving on the Lunar/Moon Surface.

The Indigenously Developed Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft-Chandrayaan-II Mission comprising of

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft Chandrayaan-II Mission Orbiter,

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft Chandrayaan-II Mission Lander

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft Chandrayaan-II Mission Rover

Successfully Launched On-Board Indigenous Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Launch Vehicle - Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III M1(GSLV Mk-III M1) Mission on 22nd July 2019.

After Accomplishing Four Earth Bound Maneuvers and Trans Lunar/Moon Injection Towards the Moon Surface, the Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft-Chandrayaan-II was Successfully Inserted into the Lunar/Moon Orbit on 20th August 2019.

A Series of Moon Bound Maneuvers were then Carried Out to Achieve a Lunar/Moon Orbit of 119x127 km.

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft Chandrayaan-II Mission Lander ‘Vikram’ was Separated as Planned from the Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft Chandrayaan-II Mission Orbiter on 2nd September 2019.

After Two Successful De-Orbiting Maneuvers, Powered Descent of the Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft Chandrayaan-II Mission Lander was initiated on 7th September 2019 to Achieve Soft Landing on the Lunar/Moon Surface.

The First Phase of Descent was Performed Nominally from An Altitude of 30 km to 7.4 km above the Lunar/Moon Surface.

The Velocity was Reduced from 1683 m/s to 146 m/s. During the Second Phase of Descent, the Reduction in Velocity was more than the Designed Value. Due to this Deviation, the Initial Conditions at the Start of the Fine Braking Phase were beyond the Designed Parameters. As a result, Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft Chandrayaan-II Mission Lander ‘Vikram’ Hard Landed within 500 m of the Designated Landing Site of the Lunar/Moon Surface.

Most of the Components of Technology Demonstration, including the Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Launch Vehicle - Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III M1(GSLV Mk-III M1) Launch, Orbital Critical Maneuvers, Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft Chandrayaan-II Mission Lander Separation, De-Boost and Rough Braking Phase were Successfully Accomplished.

With Regards to the Scientific Objectives, all the 8 State of the Art Scientific Instruments of the Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft Chandrayaan-II Mission Orbiter are Performing as per the Design and Providing Valuable Scientific Data.

Due to the Precise Launch and Orbital Maneuvers, the Mission Life of the Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft Chandrayaan-II Mission Orbiter is Increased to 7 years.

The Data Received from the Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Project Space Craft Chandrayaan-II Mission Orbiter is being Provided Continuously to the Scientific Community. The same was Recently Reviewed in An All Union of India User Meet Organised at Union of India's Establishment Territory, Delhi.

This Information was Provided by the Union Government of India, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Elected Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Shri Dr Jitendra Singh,

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Development of North-Eastern Frontal Agency, Secretary

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Personnel & Public Grievances & Pensions, Secretary

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Atomic Energy, Secretary

Union of India's Establishment, Department of Space, Secretary

in Written Reply to a Question in Sansad Bhavan, Lok Sabha on Wednesday, 20th November 2019.

 

[Galactic Penguin SST]

And here the final nail in the Indian propagandists' coffin, with the official NASA's satellite imagery disclosing the trail of debris littering the Lunar surface by the Vikram lander, and as correctly first assessed by Galactic Penguin back on 7‎th September 2019.

You read it here first on PDF!


Vikram Lander Found

December 02, 2019 20:01 UTC.

http://archive.is/quTSU/a4b36ec707c66727fc34b02b730c24767fccfe97.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191202...848/content_Vikram_Ejecta_1100px_scalebar.png ; http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/ckeditor_assets/pictures/848/content_Vikram_Ejecta_1100px_scalebar.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191202...Z2JQVJwt73EPrKsd2TE3jT_zs__4vPcKDbF-Kx70qrc0M ; http://archive.is/quTSU
▲ 1. Vikram impact point and associated debris field. Green dots indicate spacecraft debris (confirmed or likely). Blue dots are locating disturbed soil, likely where small bits of the spacecraft churned up the regolith. "S" indicates debris identified by Shanmuga Subramanian. Portion of NAC mosaic made from images M1328074531L/R and M1328081572L/R acquired 11 November [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

http://archive.ph/m2qjn/f9a44b44e7b65ce55416fdad933f4d664f56f695.gif ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191202.../pictures/847/content_Vikram_Impact_Blink.gif ; http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/ckeditor_assets/pictures/847/content_Vikram_Impact_Blink.gif ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191202...Z2JQVJwt73EPrKsd2TE3jT_zs__4vPcKDbF-Kx70qrc0M ; http://archive.is/quTSU
▲ 2. Before and after images showing Vikram impact point, changes to the surface are subtle and are more easily seen in the ratio image presented above [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

The Chandrayaan 2 Vikram lander was targeted for a highland smooth plain about 600 kilometers from the south pole; unfortunately the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) lost contact with their lander shortly before the scheduled touchdown (7 September in India, 6th September in the United States). Despite the loss, getting that close to the surface was an amazing achievement. The LROC team released the first mosaic (acquired 17 September) of the site on 26 September and many people have downloaded the mosaic to search for signs of Vikram. Shanmuga Subramanian contacted the LRO project with a positive identification of debris. After receiving this tip the LROC team confirmed the identification by comparing before and after images. When the images for the first mosaic were acquired the impact point was poorly illuminated and thus not easily identifiable. Two subsequent image sequences were acquired on 14, 15 October and 11 November. The LROC team scoured the surrounding area in these new mosaics and found the impact site (70.8810°S, 22.7840°E, 834 m elevation) and associated debris field. The November mosaic had the best pixel scale (0.7 meter) and lighting conditions (72° incidence angle).

The debris first located by Shanmuga is about 750 meters northwest of the main crash site and was a single bright pixel identification in that first mosaic (1.3 meter pixels, 84° incidence angle). The November mosaic shows best the impact crater, ray and extensive debris field. The three largest pieces of debris are each about 2x2 pixels and cast a one pixel shadow.
​

http://web.archive.org/web/20191202...Z2JQVJwt73EPrKsd2TE3jT_zs__4vPcKDbF-Kx70qrc0M
http://archive.is/quTSU

 

[KapitaanAli]

Chandrayaan-2 imaged Sarabhai crater on the Moon

On 30th July 2020, Terrain Mapping Camera – 2 (TMC-2) onboard ISRO’s Chandrayaan – 2 captured the Sarabhai Crater on Mare Serenitatis in the north east quadrant of the Moon. Mare Serenitatis, which host the Sarabhai crater is one of the lunar mare region on the Moon, with vast lava plains creating a near flat surface. To the east and ~250-300 km of Sarabhai crater is the landing site of Apollo 17 and Luna 21 missions.
Sarabhai crater is named after an Indian astrophysicist Dr. Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai, regarded as the Father of Indian Space program, and the Founder of Physical Research Laboratory and a distinguished cosmic-ray and space scientist. The birth centenary of Dr. Sarabhai is being celebrated by ISRO.






The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and 3D view of the crater generated using the Fore, Nadir and Aft images from TMC-2 reveals average depth of the crater as ~1.7 km from the raised crater rim and average slope of the crater walls is in the range 25-30°. This Sarabhai crater outer region is dominated by numerous smaller craters of varying diameter distributed over the flat Mare plains, and is devoid of any large crater (diameter >10 km) in its vicinity (~100 km around). The raised rim, the gradient inner walls and the small hummocky floor makes the Sarabhai crater an excellent example to understand the impact processes on the lava filled region of the Moon.