Chandrayaan 2 to Land on the Moon on 7 September 2019 at 1:30 am IST

Chandrayaan 2 is now one step closer to landing on the moon with the Vikram Lander having successfully separated from the Chandrayaan 2 Orbiter at 1:15 pm IST on 2 September 2019. The Vikram lander is currently located in an orbit of 119 km x 127 km, says ISRO. The Chandrayaan 2 Orbiter will continue to orbit the moon in its existing orbit.

The soft landing of Chandrayaan 2 Vikram lander on the south pole of the lunar surface is scheduled between 1:30 am to 2:30 am on Saturday, 7 September 2019, following which the Rover roll out will take place between 5:30 am to 6:30 am on the same day.

The health of the Orbiter and Lander is being monitored constantly from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru with support from Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) and all the systems of Chandrayaan 2 Orbiter and Lander are perfectly fine.

Prime minister Narendra Modi will also be watching Chandrayaan 2 landing on the moon live from the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) centre in Bengaluru along with 60 kids who have won the ISRO space quiz organized by MyGov.in.

People from across the world will be able to watch the Chandrayaan 2 landing live as even the media has been invited to cover the event live from Satellite Control Centre (SCC) building, ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC).

Congratulatory messages have begun to pour in from across the country as the date of the landing approaches. “Congratulating ISRO on executing a complicated maneuver on this auspicious day! A proud moment for all the Indians as #VikramLander successfully separated ahead of the landing on Lunar Surface, India advances a step closer to the #Moon!,” tweeted BJP politician Rajyavardhan Rathore.

The next maneuver is scheduled for 3 September 2019 between 8:45 and 9:45 am IST, says ISRO.