Chandrayaan 2 is India's most complex lunar mission, says ex-ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair

Sriharikota: As the countdown for India's ambitious lunar mission Chandrayaan 2 began, former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief G Madhavan Nair on Sunday said that it is one of the most complex missions undertaken by the country.

Nair further said that the Chandrayaan 2 mission will be a big motivator for the youth who aspire to be space scientists in future.

''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,'' the former ISRO chief said while speaking to the news agency ANI.

Former #ISRO Chief, G Madhavan Nair: #Chandrayaan2 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. pic.twitter.com/HdwyUNNmu1 — ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2019

The remarks from Nair came as the countdown for the country's prestigious lunar mission, Chandrayaan 2 began sharp at 6:51 AM on Sunday.

Chandrayaan 2 mission will be launched at 2:51 AM on July 15 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota onboard heavy-lift rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle - Mark III (GSLV Mk III), nicknamed as 'Bahubali'.

A follow-up to ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 which was launched in 2008, Chandrayaan 2 will aim to take up a detailed study on understanding the origin and evolution of the moon. 

As 9:45 AM, ISRO said that the propellant filling of liquid core stage (L110) of GSLV MkIII-M1 is in progress.

ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan had on Saturday said that the team is trying to ensure that the launch takes place as per schedule. "On July 15 at 2:51 am, we're going to launch the most prestigious mission Chandrayaan-2. GSLV MK-III being used for the mission. After a successful launch, it'll take nearly two months to go and land on Moon near the South Pole," Dr K Sivan said

Chandrayaan 2 is India's first rover-based space mission. The soft landing on Moon's surface is likely to be on September 6 or September 7. One of the most complex missions attempted to date, Chandrayaan 2 weighs 3.8-tonne and consists of an orbiter with eight scientific experiments, a lander with three experiments, a rover with two experiments and an experiment from the US space agency NASA.

With the Chandrayaan-2 mission, India is trying to become the fourth country after the former Soviet Union, US and China, which have already launched their lunar missions successfully.