'Chandrayaan-2' Lunar Mission to be Launched in July 2019

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that India's second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 is scheduled to be launched between July 9th and 16th 2019.

• The Chandrayaan-2's lander will touch down near Moon's south pole on 6th September 2019.

About the Chandrayan-2 mission:

• It is India's second lunar mission.
• It would be launched using India's most powerful rocket GSLV MK-III from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
• It has three modules (a detachable self-contained unit of a spacecraft) namely Orbiter, Lander named Vikram and Rover named Pragyan.
• The Orbiter and Lander modules will be put together as an integrated module and accommodated inside GSLV MK-III, a three stage launch vehicle equipped to lift the heaviest satellites into orbit. The Rover is enclosed inside the Lander.
• Once spacecraft is launched into earth bound orbit by GSLV MK-III, the integrated module will reach Moon orbit using Orbiter propulsion module.
• Then, the Vikram Lander would separate from the Orbiter and will make soft landing at a predetermined site close to lunar South Pole.
• The wheeled Pragyan Rover will roll out for carrying out scientific experiments on the lunar surface.
• Instruments are mounted on Lander and Orbiter for carrying out scientific experiments. The data collected by them would be relayed to earth.

Mission Objective:

• Its payloads will collect scientific information on lunar (Moon) topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, lunar exosphere and signatures of hydroxyl and water-ice.

Importance of this mission:

• Chandrayan-2 mission would land on southern pole of the Moon, which is still unexplored by any of the countries.
• Therefore landing of the spacecraft near lunar south pole would be historically significant as it would give ISRO the opportunity to name that site on the Moon.
• All the three modules namely Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) & Rover (Pragyan) are developed by India.
• Unlike Chandrayan-1 (India's first lunar mission) launched using PSLV rocket and which involved only orbiting the Moon, Chandryaan 2 would attempt a soft landing close to lunar south pole.

Question:

Q. Which lunar mission of India is scheduled to be launched between July 9th and 16th 2019 as per an announcement made by ISRO? 
a. Gaganyaan-1
b. Chandrayaan-1
c. Gaganyaan-2
d. Chandrayaan-2