India's Moon Exploration Program

[Indx TechStyle]

Story of the Week
Discovery of new suprathermal proton population around the Moon by SARA onboard Chandrayaan-1

A new group of suprathermal protons are discovered near the Moon by the Sub-keV Atom Reflecting Analyzer (SARA) experiment on Chandrayaan-1 - the first Indian lunar mission. These protons are found to exist on the sunlit side as well as the night side of the Moon.

Sun emits not only radiation but also a stream of ionized particles known as solar wind. Sun is composed dominantly of hydrogen (H) in the ionised form (H+), which are basically protons. Solar wind is an extension of the solar corona, which is the outermost layer of the Sun dominantly of protons having typical energy of 1 kilo electron volts (keV) at the orbit of Earth. [1 eV ~14 km/s for hydrogen]. Solar wind flows through the solar system and interacts with the various ions in it.

The Earth, our host planet, possesses a substantial magnetic field (~35000 nano Tesla) of its own, which effectively blocks the solar wind and shields the planet. Contrary to this, the Moon, the only natural satellite of the Earth, does not possess a global magnetic field. This results in the continuous bombardment of solar wind on the lunar surface. Moon has localised areas where magnetic fields of few hundred nano Tesla exist and these regions are known as Lunar Magnetic Anomalies (LMA).

Interaction with the solar wind generates a variety of energetic protons (H+) around the Moon. Solar wind protons undergo scattering while interacting with the lunar surface (0.1-1%), which move around the Moon and thereby contribute to its environment. Large contribution come from the LMAs, which deflects almost half of the solar wind protons that incident on it. The Moon possesses a surface bound exosphere having neutral atoms or molecules around it including hydrogen atoms. These atoms become ionized by the ultra-violet (UV) radiation from the Sun (photoionisation), and also due to collision with solar wind protons (charge exchange process). These ions get accelerated and also add to the lunar environment.

The new population of protons that are discovered near the Moon by the Chandrayaan-1/SARA are not associated with any of these known sources or processes. The detailed analysis shows that the source is located at higher altitude (>500 km) above the dayside lunar surface and their density and velocity distribution reveals that they are neither from interplanetary nor interstellar medium and its origin is still an enigma. This indicates that our knowledge about Moon is still limited and calls for further exploration. These observations are also important to understand the environment of any non-magnetized body without atmosphere in our solar system as well as Exo-planetary systems.

The above result has been published in the international journal, Geophysical Research Letters, 2017, 44, doi:10.1002/2017GL072605.

The SARA experiment on the Chandrayaan-1 mission was an international collaborative research experiment between Space Physics Laboratory (SPL), Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), and Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF), Kiruna, Sweden, with participation from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and University of Bern (UBe) Switzerland. SARA consisted of an ion-mass analyzer, namely SWIM (Solar WInd Monitor), to measure ions in the energy range of 10 to 15000 electron volts and an energetic neutral atom sensor namely CENA (Chandrayaan-1 Energetic Neutral Analyzer) to detect low energy neutral atoms (10 to 3000 electron volts). More than 20 research papers have been published based on observations made by SARA in various international journals of high impact.

Schematic of the new suprathermal population of protons observed around Moon. The Sun is on the left hand side. Orbit of Chandrayaan-1 is shown by cyan colored dotted curve. The green colored filled circles represent the newly observed population of suprathermal protons, the source of which is located at altitudes >500 km above the dayside surface. The yellow curve shows a sample trajectory of the suprathermal protons - a possible way of transportation from the source location to near the Moon where they are observed by SARA.

Story of the Week - Archive
Jun 27, 2017 : Discovery of new suprathermal proton population around the Moon by SARA onboard Chandrayaan-1
Jun 19, 2017 : Mars Orbiter Mission Completes 1000 Days in Orbit
Jun 10, 2017 : The first developmental flight of GSLV-Mk-III
Jun 05, 2017 : Enhanced use of Space based Applications in Governance and Development- Madhya Pradesh
May 22, 2017 : National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM) Version 3.0 Released
May 15, 2017 : Observing Reservoir and River Water Levels from Satellite Altimetry
May 08, 2017 : NARL MST Radar Observations Help Resolve Ionospheric Echoing Riddle

• 1 of 16
  
• next ›

 

[Indx TechStyle]

India to see two moon missions by March​

India is all set to send two separate spacecrafts to the moon within the next five months, both of which will aim to land on the lunar surface and will carry precious payloads of rovers for exploration.

While one spacecraft will be the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) own Chandrayaan-2, the other will be from India's first private moonshot Team Indus which is competing in the Google LunarXPrize challenge.

Both the spacecrafts will ride on ISRO's launchers - the smaller Team Indus spacecraft will be launched on the workhorse PSLV, while the Chandrayaan-2 will be launched on the larger GSLV Mk II.

"In Chandrayaan-2, the orbiter is currently getting integrated at ISAC (ISRO Satellite Centre) Bangalore. The lander, rover and various instruments and the systems are undergoing tests. By the first quarter of next year, we expect to put the orbiter, lander and rover into the lunar orbit," said A S Kiran Kumar, Chairman of ISRO, on Monday.

While ISRO doesn't have any deadlines for launch of the Chandrayaan-2, Team Indus if it wants to compete for the prize money in the XPrize competition, will need to complete its mission before March 31, 2017. This will include landing on the moon, traversing 500 metres using the rover onboard and beaming back high quality images and videos to Earth.

Team Indus had earlier been offered a slot to launch its spacecraft on December 28, with the firm planning a touchdown on the lunar surface on January 26, 2017. However, the launch timeline has been pushed forward, given the recent failure of ISRO's PSLV-C39 rocket which failed to implant the IRNSS-1H navigational satellite into its orbit.

The space agency has also lined up the launch of a satellite from the Cartosat-2 series which will happen sometime in the second half of December. It is expected that between the launch of the Cartosat and Chandrayaan-2, Team Indus will be given an opportunity to launch sometime in January or February next year.

The removal of the deadline of December 31 for teams to launch their spacecraft by the Google LunarXPrize committee will mean Team Indus will still remain in the running for the prize money. Rahul Narayan, founder of Team Indus told Business Standard that the company was in discussions with ISRO to figure out a new launch date.

While both ISRO and Team Indus' spacecrafts will travel to the moon, their configurations are widely different. The Chandrayaan-2 will use an orbiter which will orbit the moon, and from which a lander carrying a rover will descend. Team Indus' spacecraft will double as the lander and is far lighter at 600 kilogram (at takeoff) compared to 2,650 kilogram Chandrayaan-2.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

A look at the TeamIndus spacecraft that will take India to the Moon
TeamIndus is launching its spacecraft to the Moon in 2018. This will be the first time any private entity attempts to land on the lunar surface. We will soon be posting details on how we built our spacecraft to survive the landing. Meanwhile, here’s an overview of our spacecraft.

The TeamIndus spacecraft. Seen here are the solar panels (left) and the mounted rover (right).
The spacecraft has 3 major systems:

1. Spacecraft Bus: The spacecraft bus consists of the structural skeleton, thermal and propulsion systems.
2. Avionics: This system houses the on-board computer, power and communications systems.
3. Payloads: Our rover ECA, the Japanese rover Sorato (which we are also carrying) and all the Lab2Moon experiments are the major payloads onboard the spacecraft.

#1: The structure and thermal systems of the spacecraft
The spacecraft has optical solar reflectors and heat shields to keep itself cool. The lander structure is designed to withstand the impact forces during the launch and landing. The landing gear uses crushable aluminium honeycomb to absorb the impact forces during touchdown on the Moon.

The main structure of the spacecraft that ensures the safety of the subsystems and payloads.
The spacecraft design thus ensures the safety of the payloads and all the subsystems in the spacecraft. The maximum diameter of the spacecraft is decided by the launch vehicle, which for us is the trusty PSLV from ISRO.

The interface ring as shown in the diagram below will be used to connect to the PSLV for launch.

1: TeamIndus spacecraft (older version) in the PSLV envelope. 2: The intersection ring of the spacecraft that docks to the PSLV.
#2: Propulsion system
The primary engine on the spacecraft is a liquid rocket engine with a thrust capability of 440 N for major maneuvers. It is accompanied by sixteen small 22 N thrusters for finer orbital maneuvers and directional control.

Bottom view of the spacecraft showing the primary and the secondary thrusters.
The propellant is provided by the two helium-pressurized tanks onboard the spacecraft. Hydrazine is used as the fuel combined with Nitrogen Tetroxide as the oxidizer. The propulsion is controlled by the Heater Propulsion Card (HPC) onboard the spacecraft.
#3: Power & Communication systems
The three solar panels on the spacecraft are the primary power source, generating 235 W. A 24 Ah Lithium-ion battery is also present for additional power. Spacecraft communication with the control center is handled via the radio S-band and X-band.

Radio frequency bands (in GHz) used for satellite communication. Source: ESA
S-band is the same channel used by NASA for communication with the International Space Station (ISS). The X-band is used for high frequency transmission as in air traffic control and defense applications. A TM/TC card is used for processing both the data that is sent and received.
#4: The on-board computer (OBC)
The on-board computer (OBC) orchestrates the command+telemetry data processing and related operations. The most important job of the OBC is to act as a guidance, navigation and control system (GNC) for the entire mission duration. The lunar descent is controlled through the GNC using data from a host of sensors as detailed in the following post:
TeamIndus Lunar Descent Strategy
The science and art of executing a Moon landingmedium.com
#5: Payloads
The TeamIndus spacecraft is carrying two of the world’s lightest rovers to the lunar surface. The Indian rover is the ECA a.k.a. Ek Choti si Asha (Hindi for ‘A small hope’), while the Japanese rover is Sorato.The lander will be used to communicate with both the rovers.

1: TeamIndus rover ECA. 2: Japanese rover Sorato. Source: GLXP
The six Lab2Moon experiments designed by students across the world will also go onboard the spacecraft. What’s amazing about these soda-can sized experimentsis that they can help humanity become a multi-planetary species.
Conclusion
This was an overview of the TeamIndus spacecraft. In the coming weeks, we will be diving deeper into each of the subsystems of the spacecraft. Through these articles, we want you to get familiar with all the technology that goes behind building a mission to the Moon.

We want this mission to be inspiring for the next generation of creators and scientists across the world and beyond.

Space is the final frontier that we all must fight towards, together.

 

[AnantS]

@Indx TechStyle Bro, You work in Chd TBRL? Anyway do you know why thrusters for ECA sourced from IHI Japan and not ISRO?

 

[Indx TechStyle]

@Indx TechStyle Bro, You work in Chd TBRL? Anyway do you know why thrusters for ECA sourced from IHI Japan and not ISRO?

Experience and quality mate, our thrusters haven't been even demonstrated properly while about Japanese robotics.
Obviously, they are a for profit private startup avoiding risks.

 

[Suryavanshi]

A look at the TeamIndus spacecraft that will take India to the Moon
TeamIndus is launching its spacecraft to the Moon in 2018. This will be the first time any private entity attempts to land on the lunar surface. We will soon be posting details on how we built our spacecraft to survive the landing. Meanwhile, here’s an overview of our spacecraft.

The TeamIndus spacecraft. Seen here are the solar panels (left) and the mounted rover (right).
The spacecraft has 3 major systems:

1. Spacecraft Bus: The spacecraft bus consists of the structural skeleton, thermal and propulsion systems.
2. Avionics: This system houses the on-board computer, power and communications systems.
3. Payloads: Our rover ECA, the Japanese rover Sorato (which we are also carrying) and all the Lab2Moon experiments are the major payloads onboard the spacecraft.

#1: The structure and thermal systems of the spacecraft
The spacecraft has optical solar reflectors and heat shields to keep itself cool. The lander structure is designed to withstand the impact forces during the launch and landing. The landing gear uses crushable aluminium honeycomb to absorb the impact forces during touchdown on the Moon.

The main structure of the spacecraft that ensures the safety of the subsystems and payloads.
The spacecraft design thus ensures the safety of the payloads and all the subsystems in the spacecraft. The maximum diameter of the spacecraft is decided by the launch vehicle, which for us is the trusty PSLV from ISRO.

The interface ring as shown in the diagram below will be used to connect to the PSLV for launch.

1: TeamIndus spacecraft (older version) in the PSLV envelope. 2: The intersection ring of the spacecraft that docks to the PSLV.
#2: Propulsion system
The primary engine on the spacecraft is a liquid rocket engine with a thrust capability of 440 N for major maneuvers. It is accompanied by sixteen small 22 N thrusters for finer orbital maneuvers and directional control.

Bottom view of the spacecraft showing the primary and the secondary thrusters.
The propellant is provided by the two helium-pressurized tanks onboard the spacecraft. Hydrazine is used as the fuel combined with Nitrogen Tetroxide as the oxidizer. The propulsion is controlled by the Heater Propulsion Card (HPC) onboard the spacecraft.
#3: Power & Communication systems
The three solar panels on the spacecraft are the primary power source, generating 235 W. A 24 Ah Lithium-ion battery is also present for additional power. Spacecraft communication with the control center is handled via the radio S-band and X-band.

Radio frequency bands (in GHz) used for satellite communication. Source: ESA
S-band is the same channel used by NASA for communication with the International Space Station (ISS). The X-band is used for high frequency transmission as in air traffic control and defense applications. A TM/TC card is used for processing both the data that is sent and received.
#4: The on-board computer (OBC)
The on-board computer (OBC) orchestrates the command+telemetry data processing and related operations. The most important job of the OBC is to act as a guidance, navigation and control system (GNC) for the entire mission duration. The lunar descent is controlled through the GNC using data from a host of sensors as detailed in the following post:
TeamIndus Lunar Descent Strategy
The science and art of executing a Moon landingmedium.com
#5: Payloads
The TeamIndus spacecraft is carrying two of the world’s lightest rovers to the lunar surface. The Indian rover is the ECA a.k.a. Ek Choti si Asha (Hindi for ‘A small hope’), while the Japanese rover is Sorato.The lander will be used to communicate with both the rovers.

1: TeamIndus rover ECA. 2: Japanese rover Sorato. Source: GLXP
The six Lab2Moon experiments designed by students across the world will also go onboard the spacecraft. What’s amazing about these soda-can sized experimentsis that they can help humanity become a multi-planetary species.
Conclusion
This was an overview of the TeamIndus spacecraft. In the coming weeks, we will be diving deeper into each of the subsystems of the spacecraft. Through these articles, we want you to get familiar with all the technology that goes behind building a mission to the Moon.

We want this mission to be inspiring for the next generation of creators and scientists across the world and beyond.

Space is the final frontier that we all must fight towards, together.

Brother is the rover indigenous?

 

[Flame Thrower]

I vaguely remember(from team indus doc) that Team Indus had a plan of hoisting flag on Moon on 26th Jan.

They were planning to brew beer (yeast cells) with some other Institute.

Any info on this

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Brother is the rover indigenous?

Cdy-2 is indigenous while INA one is Indian one with foreign payloads.

I vaguely remember(from team indus doc) that Team Indus had a plan of hoisting flag on Moon on 26th Jan.

They were planning to brew beer (yeast cells) with some other Institute.

Any info on this

Not having any update but it has been posted in thread earlier.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Moon Mission a calculated risk: Chairman Sivan

 

[Flame Thrower]

Moon Mission a calculated risk: Chairman Sivan

Let's do this in Style within IST aka ISRO Standard Timeline.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Code made in Bengaluru to aid moon mission

India’s second moon mission Chandrayaan-2 being launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will have a key software developed by a startup at its Bengaluru development centre.

Omnipresent Robot Tech, a Delhi-based software and hardware development company, has developed the software for Chandrayaan’s rover imaging and navigational manoeuvre at its development centre in Bengaluru. The software will take charge of the rover once it lands on the moon, a top company official said.

“We have developed ‘Omny3D’ which will help the rover to navigate on the moon’s surface. It will help to identify rocks and obstacles and track the path from one point to another,” Akash Sinha, founder and CEO of Omnipresent, told DH.

On the moon, the rover will find it difficult to move as the surface is rough and dark. The software will help to overcome those hurdles.

Chandrayaan-2, considered to be the “most complex mission”, is scheduled to be launched in January 2019. The window period to launch the emission starts on l January 3 and ends on February 16, 2019. The mission will be launched with the help of GSLV Mark-III launcher, according to the Isro.

The Isro didn’t respond to a query sent by DH seeking details of the project.

Omnipresent, a seven-year-old startup with more than 50 members, received the project order after winning a tender from Isro.

“Since the data bandwidth between the moon and the earth would be limited, it will take 10 minutes to send pictures to the ground station. With limited photos, the Omny3D developed by our company can make 3D modelling even in shady texture and complete black,” Akash Sinha said.

The software also helps in the motion planning of the rover. “We will help in its navigation as per the commands from the ground station,” he said.

The company is working closely with the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (Leos), a research lab belonging to the Isro. It involves in the design and development of optics and sensor modules that can be deployed either aboard the satellite or with the launch vehicle.

Initially, the Isro had planned to partner with Russia to perform Chandrayaan-2 and signed an agreement in 2007 to launch the orbiter and lander. As Russia later pulled out of the agreement, the mission got postponed due to technical issues.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Oct 12, 2018
ISRO successfully tests Cryogenic Engine (CE-20) for GSLV Mk-III / Chandrayaan-2 Mission

The upper stage of GSLV MK-III vehicle is powered by Cryogenic Engine (CE)-20 which develops a nominal thrust of 186.36 kN with a specific impulse of 442 seconds in vacuum. The engine operates on gas generator cycle using LOX / LH2 propellants combination. The major subsystems of the engine are thrust chamber, gas generator, LOX and LH2 turbo pumps, igniters, thrust & mixture ratio control systems, Start-up system, control components and pyro valves. The fifth hardware of CE-20 integrated engine designated as E6 is earmarked for GSLV Mk-III M1-Chandrayaan 2 mission.

The flight acceptance hot test of E6 engine was successfully tested for 25 seconds at High Altitude Test facility, ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri on October 11, 2018. The test demonstrated steady state operation of engine. The performance of all engine subsystems were observed to be normal during the hot test.

ISRO - Government of India

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Mission rescheduled from Jan,03 2019 to Jan 30, 2019.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

India’s tryst with Moon: 10 years and two missions

Unloading a PSLV-C11 strap-on from transporter at Vehicle Assembly Building
HIGHLIGHTS

• Soon, India will send its second probe to the Moon — Chandrayaan-2 — for lunar studies
• October 22 marks the 10th anniversary of Chandrayaan-1
• Isro says the map Chandrayaan-2 will provide from its experiment is expected to yield the firmest conclusions on the distribution of water on the Moon’s surface

BENGALURU: In a few weeks’ time, India will send its second probe to the Moon Chandrayaan-2—for lunar studies with an orbiter that carries a wider range spectrometer that goes upto 5 microns to clearly provide the water signature. As important as the payloads on Chandrayaan-2 are, the project will also see a Lander, now named Vikram after father of India’s space programme Vikram Sarabhai, is the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (Isro) first attempt to study the Moon. Chandrayaan-1.

October 22 marks the 10th anniversary of Chandrayaan-1, whose eventually findings won the mission three international awards and its discoveries are still being studied by researchers across the world. The mission like the early Moon landings during the Apollo era and the ones that came later like Clementine, Lunar Prospector, SMART-1, Kaguya (Japan), Chang’e missions and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter et al, is a landmark project.

Just two months, there was a fresh credence given to the original findings of water by Chandrayaan-1 by researchers in the US. And Isro now says that the map Chandrayaan-2 will provide from its experiment is expected to yield the firmest conclusions on the distribution of water on the Moon’s surface. “The dual frequency SAR experiment on Chandrayaan-2 will further refine sensitivity to sub-surface water. Along with a mass spectrometer that can study the exosphere for much longer durations, Chandrayaan-2 truly has a unique opportunity to provide major findings on the important subject of water on the Moon.”

But all this confidence comes from the success of the first mission, which is worth recollection. Here’s what happened:

At 6.22am on October 22, 2008, the PSLV carrying Chandrayaan-1 roared into the sky paving the way for the future of India’s endeavours for planetary exploration. And, on November 8 that year, Chandrayaan-1 reached the polar orbit around the Moon.

M Annadurai, called the Moon-man of India recollects: “On November 14, in the presence of then Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam, we commanded a tiny Moon Impact Probe (MIP) to detach from the mother craft targeting to touch down the moon after 27 minutes of flight into the atmosphere of the moon. While climbing down to the lunar surface one of the science equipment onboard the MIP, namely CHACE— a mass spectrometer—started indicating the presence of water (vapour) in the moon’s atmosphere.”

The signal then got more pronounced when the probe was going nearer to moon’s surface. The presence of water near moon was considered to be sourced from the lunar surface. So remaining instruments on board Chandrayaan-1 mother craft were programmed to look for presence of water on the Lunar surface.

The search was for the entire surface of the moon. Accordingly Chandrayaan-1 paved the way for deriving Lunar Map with water resources (see pic). “Discovery of ice on the poles of the moon is also credited to the Chandrayaan-1. When another set of International Scientists used Chandrayaan-1 data for their research again the claim was once again got confirmed,” Annadurai said.

Chandrayaan-1 received three international awards , one each for Discovery of water on the moon, Spacecraft Design and compact accommodation of 11 Science instruments and the very high level of international co-operation that paved the way for new wave in planetary exploration.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

PRL develops 3 payloads for India's second lunar exploration mission Chandrayaan-2

While the country's first lunar probe was launched in October 2008, the schedule of the proposed Chandrayaan-2 lift-off is being eagerly awaited. (Image Credit: Twitter)​

Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) has developed three payloads for India's second lunar exploration mission Chandrayaan-2, which unlike Chandrayaan-1 will include an orbiter, a lander and a rover.

While the country's first lunar probe was launched in October 2008, the schedule of the proposed Chandrayaan-2 lift-off is being eagerly awaited.

"There are three payloads developed by the PRL for Chandrayaan-2. The orbiter will have a solar X-ray monitor developed by PRL. It will monitor x-rays coming from the Sun and X-rays being generated on the surface of the moon," said PRL Director Dr Anil Bhardwaj.

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 15th International Symposium on Equatorial Aeronomy, organised at the main PRL campus here.

PRL, a unit of Department of Space, was founded in 1947.

"On the lander, there will be Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE). This is a probe which will measure the temperature beneath the surface by getting inside the surface of the moon. It will do so after the lander lands on the moon," the director said, adding that this equipment will also be developed by PRL.

(ChaSTE) is one of the science experiments proposed to conduct in lunar surface in the Chandrayaan-2 mission.

For the rover, which will come out from the lander and meant to roam on the lunar surface, PRL has developed an instrument called 'Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer', said Bhardwaj.

"This instrument is designed to identify various elements and chemical compounds on the surface of the moon" he said.

According to reports, Chandrayaan-2 is likely to be launched in January-March window in 2019. However, exact dates are not yet released.

PRL is also developing instruments for 'Aditya-L1 mission', which is aimed at studying the Sun through a satellite placed in the halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, said Bharadwaj. An instrument for the measurement of charged particles has also been developed, he said.

"With this instrument, we will be able to study solar winds, charged particles and its energy range," said Bhardwaj. As per ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) the website, the satellite will be inserted in a halo orbit around the L1, which is 1.5 million kms from the earth.

The project is approved and the satellite will be launched during 2019 2020 time frame by PSLV-XL from Sriharikota.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Oct 26, 2018
CHANDRAYAAN-2 LANDER ACTUATOR PERFORMANCE TEST (LAPT PHASE-2)

The Lander Actuator Performance Test (LAPT) is one of the crucial tests required to be demonstrated for a successful soft and safe landing of Vikram (Chandrayaan-2 Lander). To carry out this test, an LAPT module which is a scaled down version of Vikram with all the required hardware was realised for testing in Earth environment. The reason for the scaling down is to compensate the effect of Earth’s gravity as compared to Moon’s gravity and to match the thrust generation of sea level Liquid Engines as compared to flight engines which will operate in vacuum environment. The module was tethered to a crane hook for conducting the test. To carry out this test, a special test facility was erected at ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri.

The objective of the test was to assess the closed loop integrated performance of Sensors, Actuators and Navigation, Guidance & Control (NGC) and guidance algorithms below 100 m height. Three tests have been conceived as part of LAPT Phase-2 activities to demonstrate these objectives. First test was conducted to demonstrate Vertical Descent while second Test was conducted to demonstrate Hovering.

The third and final test was successfully conducted to demonstrate re-targeting in a Parabolic Trajectory, on 25th Oct 2018 at ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri. This test demonstrated the capability of the NGC system of Vikram to meet the mission requirement of safe, soft and precise landing on the lunar surface by steering the module horizontally as well as vertically down to a pre-defined target. With this, all the tests have been completed successfully. This is a major milestone accomplished in Chandrayaan-2 Lander.

LAPT Module tethered to tower crane

 

[Indx TechStyle]

ISRO successfully conducts crucial test ahead of Chandrayaan-2’s launch

In the run up to the launch of India’s second moon mission Chandrayaan-2 the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has accomplished a major milestone.

A scaled down version of Chandrayaan-2’s Lander-Vikram has completed the critical Lander Actuator Performance Test.

The Test is one of the crucial tests required to be demonstrated for a successful soft and safe landing of Vikram.

According to the space agency to carry out this test, an LAPT module which is a scaled down version of Vikram with all the required hardware was realised for testing in Earth environment.

“The reason for the scaling down is to compensate the effect of Earth’s gravity as compared to Moon’s gravity and to match the thrust generation of sea level Liquid Engines as compared to flight engines which will operate in vacuum environment. The module was tethered to a crane hook for conducting the test. To carry out this test, a special test facility was erected at ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri,” ISRO said.

It added that the objective of the test was to assess the closed loop integratedperformance of Sensors, Actuators and Navigation, Guidance & Control (NGC) and guidance algorithms below 100 m height. Three tests have been conceived as part of LAPT Phase-2 activities to demonstrate these objectives. First test was conducted to demonstrate Vertical Descent while second Test was conducted to demonstrate Hovering.

This test demonstrated the capability of the NGC system of Vikram to meet the mission requirement of safe, soft and precise landing on the lunar surface by steering the module horizontally as well as vertically down to a pre-defined target. With this, all the tests have been completed successfully,”it added.

The Chandrayaan-2 mission is scheduled to be launched in January 2019.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Lunar lander faces crucial test

Chandrayaan 2’s landing sensors to be tested at artificial site at Challakere

The Chandrayaan-2 lunar lander’s sensors are set to undergo a crucial test in the next few days as the mission races towards a planned take-off in around two months.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to fly the sensors on an aircraft over its artificial lunar site at Challakere to see how they will function and guide the Chandrayaan-2 landing craft when it starts descending on the lunar terrain. The test flight is slated tentatively for November 24.

The orbiter carrying the lander and a rover is scheduled to be sent to the Moon from Sriharikota on January 31 and expected to reach there sometime in February 2019.

The test on ground, called the Lander Sensor Performance Test or LSPT, will be conducted at ISRO's new R&D campus in Chitradurga district, about 200 km from here, ISRO Chairman K. Sivan said.

The highly autonomous or pre-programmed mission uses a large number of sensors. Among them are those that help the lander to precisely assess its height from the landing spot; decide its speed and help it to steer clear of any boulders or uneven surface.

The lander is being developed and tested by the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru. For the test, a prototype module carrying the sensors will be flown on one of ISRO's two small aircraft. As the plane descends from around 7 km to about 1 km over the artifical terrain, the sensors must show how they will guide the soft landing of the lunar craft at the right spot, speed and position.

Surface simulated

About two years back, ISRO had started readying a part of the Challakere site to resemble lunar craters and had conducted a few preliminary sensor tests. Features of the lander have since been modified and the upcoming tests will also validate the new design. “The development and testing of the orbiter are over. Lander-related activities are going on. We will then add the rover also [to tests.] Until the mission is launched, we would be testing all systems continuously after every integration,” said Dr. Sivan.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Chandrayaan-2 not to blast off on Jan 3, Isro yet to fix launch date

TNN
Isro chairman Sivan K
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Isro has confirmed it will not launch Chandrayaan-2 — its second lunar mission — on January 3.
• It is scrambling to launch the mission at the earliest in 2019, but does not have a date yet.
• Isro chairman Sivan K told TOI the space agency was busy with launches in the second half of 2018 and this affected the mission schedule. “We’ll be able to decide on the launch date in 10-12 days,” he added.

BENGALURU: The Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) confirmed — as Chinese space probe Chang’e 4 on Sunday moved into position to land on the far, unexplored side of the Moon — that it would not launch its second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, on January 3 as announced earlier.

The space agency, which is scrambling to launch the mission in the first available window in 2019, does not have a launch date as yet.

Isro chairman Sivan K told TOI that the agency was busy with multiple launches in the second half of 2018 and this affected work on the moon mission. “At this moment I cannot comment on the date,” he said. “We will be able to decide on that in about 10 to 12 days.”

Both Chang’e 4 and Chandrayaan-2 will aim to achieve “firsts” on the lunar soil. While the Chinese probe will be the first to land on the far or ‘dark’ side of the Moon, the hemisphere that always faces away from Earth, the lander from Chandrayaan-2 will touch down in an unexplored area near the lunar South Pole.

Xinhua news agency reported that Chang’e 4 had entered a planned orbit on Sunday to prepare for the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon, but did not specify when the landing would take place.

Isro is preparing to launch Chandrayaan-2, which missed two planned launch windows in 2017 and 2018, in a window from the first week of January to February 16.

“Unlike a mission to Mars, we will not have to wait for two years to launch in case the window passes. But we are confident of launching it in the first window. Work is progressing well,” Sivan said.

The mission, unlike Chandrayaan-1, involves a soft landing on the Moon and the unloading of a rover to study and take measurements from lunar surface. The orbiter will remain in a trajectory around the Moon. Initially, the project was to be a joint mission with Russian, whose space agency Roscosmos was to supply the lander. Isro decided to go solo when the deal fell through.

After years of design and development, the entire project was reconfigured, which has prompted several changes to multiple systems.

As per the first plan, the lander was to gradually descend from a height of 100km to 18km from the Moon’s surface. From there, the orientation would change, sending the lander in a slightly horizontal direction for about 8.5km, when mission control will make further changes in orientation and velocity for a soft landing.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

GSLV-Mk III / Chandrayaan-2 Mission

Chandrayaan-2, India's second mission to the Moon is a totally indigenous mission comprising of an Orbiter, Lander and Rover. After reaching the 100 km lunar orbit, the Lander housing the Rover will separate from the Orbiter. After a controlled descent, the Lander will soft land on the lunar surface at a specified site and deploy a Rover.

The mission will carry a six-wheeled Rover which will move around the landing site in semi-autonomous mode as decided by the ground commands. The instruments on the rover will observe the lunar surface and send back data, which will be useful for analysis of the lunar soil.

The Chandrayaan-2 weighing around 3290 kg and would orbit around the moon and perform the objectives of remote sensing the moon. The payloads will collect scientific information on lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, lunar exosphere and signatures of hydroxyl and water-ice.

GSLV-F10/Chandrayaan-2 Mission is planned during early 2019.

(Postponed to Mid February.)