Defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has delivered ‘Orbiter Craft Module Structure’ of Chandrayaan-2, India’s second lunar exploration mission, to ISRO Satellite Centre in Bangaluru.
Chandrayaan-2, an advanced version of the previous mission, consists of an Orbiter, Lander and Rover configuration. India had successfully launched Chandrayaan-1 on October 22, 2008.
HAL Chairman and Managing Director T. Suvarna Raju, said, the Orbiter Craft Module is a three-tonne category bus structure made out of a central composite cylinder, shear webs and deck panels. The Orbiter with scientific payloads will orbit around the moon and the Lander will soft land on the planet at a specified site and deploy the Rover.
The scientific payloads onboard the Orbiter, Lander and Rover are expected to perform mineralogical and elemental studies of the lunar surface.
According to Indian Space Research organisation’s plans, Chandrayaan-2 will be launched by a Geo-Stationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-MKII) during the next two to three years.