Have questions about Chandrayaan-2? Here's all you need to know about it and its journey to Moon

New Delhi: Chandrayaan-2, India`s lunar mission is all set to to make soft landing on the surface of the moon on Saturday, thus becoming the first Indian expedition to carry out a soft landing on the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-2 will make soft landing on the surface of the moon between 1:30 am to 2:30 am on Saturday, followed by the Rover roll out between 5:30 am to 6:30 am, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

More than 60 high school students across the country will watch the soft landing of the mission around midnight with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  These school children had cleared an online space quiz last month to be a part of seeing the soft landing of Chandrayaan-2.

This mission will make India the fourth country after the US, Russia, and China to conduct a soft landing on the moon. After revolving around the Earth`s orbit for nearly 23 days, the craft began its journey to the moon on August 14.

Here is all you need to know about Chandrayaan-2 and its journey to the Moon

What is Chandrayaan-2

Chandrayaan-2 is a follow-on mission to the Chandrayaan-1 Mission. Chandryaan-2 comprises of an Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyaan).

What is the difference between Chandrayaan-2 different from Chandrayaan-1

Unlike Chandrayaan-1, Chandrayaan-2 will attempt to soft land its Vikram module on the lunar surface and deploy a six-wheeled Rover, Pragyaan on the Moon to carry out several scientific experiments. The lift-off mass of Chandrayaan-1 was 1380 kg while Chandrayaan-2 weighs 3850 kg.

What are the goals of Chandrayaan-2

Chandrayaan-2 aims to widen the scientific objectives of Chandrayaan-1 by way of soft landing on the Moon and deploying a rover to study the lunar surface.

How many instruments are carried onboard Chandrayaan-2

The Orbiter carries eight scientific payloads for mapping the lunar surface and study the exosphere (outer atmosphere) of the Moon. The Lander carries three scientific payloads to conduct surface and subsurface science experiments. The Rover carries two payloads to enhance our understanding of the lunar surface. A passive experiment from NASA is also carried onboard Chandrayaan-2.

What is the mission life of the Orbiter, Lander and Rover

The mission life of Orbiter is one year whereas the mission life of lander (Vikram) and rover (Pragyan) is one Lunar day which is equal to fourteen earth days.

Which launch vehicle is being used to launch Chandrayaan-2

Chandrayaan-2 is launched by GSLV MK-III M1 launch vehicle.

How far is the Rover expected to travel on the moon

The Rover can travel up to 500 meter (half a kilometer) from the landing spot on moon

How many attempts have been made by space agencies in the world to soft land on the moon? What has been the success rate of these missions

A total number of 38 soft landing attempts have been made, so far. The success rate is 52%.