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India successfully launches moon lander/rover Chandrayaan 2

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR


A successful landing would make India the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, after the space agencies of the USSR, USA and China. If successful, Chandrayaan-2 will be the second mission to soft land near the lunar south pole region after the Chinese Chang'e 4 mission, which landed in that region on 3 January 2019, although Chandrayaan-2 will land at a latitude further south on the near side of the Moon.
The mission's lander is called Vikram (Sanskrit: विक्रम, lit. 'Valour') named after Vikram Sarabhai (1919-1971), who is widely regarded as the father of the Indian space programme.
The Vikram lander will detach from the orbiter and descend to a lunar orbit of 30 km × 100 km (19 mi × 62 mi) using its 800 N (180 lbf) liquid main engines. It will then perform a comprehensive check of all its on-board systems before attempting a soft landing, deploy the rover, and perform scientific activities for approximately 15 days. The approximate combined mass of the lander and rover is 1,471 kg (3,243 lb).
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Awesome!
 

Doczu

Member
So who's going to be the first to make a manned mission again?
Are we slowly getting to a new space race age?
 

Mihos

Gold Member
So who's going to be the first to make a manned mission again?
Are we slowly getting to a new space race age?


I think the US will make it back soon. They have the right mix if private companies to push it past the 'term of a president' issue and the SJW "first woman on the moon" angle to get it past the AOC types that like to kill funding.

First private company that turns a profit in space will trigger the next gold rush to space, if I had to guess.
 
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