Chandrayaan-2's tryst with destiny

Bengaluru: Hours before Chandrayaan-2's 'Vikram' module's proposed soft landing on the Lunar surface, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said on Friday things are progressing as per plan for the much-awaited event.

The touch-down of 'Vikram' lander is scheduled between 1.30 am, and 2.30 am on Saturday, followed by the rollout of rover 'Pragyan' between 5.30 a.m and 6.30 a.m.

The soft landing attempt will be telecast live from 1.10 a.m on Doordarshan, webcast on ISRO website and streamed on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

"Certainly there is a lot of anxiety in the minds of the entire (Chandrayaan-2) team because it's a very complex operation and we are doing it for the first time," a senior official associated with the mission, said on condition of anonymity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the mission manifests the best of Indian talent and spirit of tenacity.

"Its success will benefit crores of Indians," he said in a series of tweets.

The prime minister was at the ISRO Centre in Bengaluru to witness the "extraordinary moment in the history of India's space programme".

"The moment 130 crore Indians were enthusiastically waiting for is here! The final descent of Chandrayaan - 2 will take place on the Lunar South Pole. India and the rest of the world will yet again see the exemplary prowess of our space scientists," he said.

As India attempts a soft landing on the lunar surface, all eyes will be on the lander 'Vikram' and rover 'Pragyan'.

The 1,471-kg 'Vikram', named after Dr Vikram A Sarabhai, father of the Indian space programme, is designed to execute a soft landing on the lunar surface and to function for one lunar day, which is equivalent to about 14 earth days.

Chandrayaan-2's 27-kg robotic vehicle 'Pragyan', which translates to 'wisdom' in Sanskrit, can travel up to 500 metres from the landing spot on the Moon and leverages solar energy for its functioning.