HAL delivers orbiter craft module structure of Chandrayaan-2 to ISRO

Bengaluru-headquartered defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has delivered the 'Orbiter Craft Module Structure' of Chandrayaan-2 to ISRO Satellite Centre here. India's second lunar exploration mission, Chandrayaan-2 consists of an orbiter, lander and rover configuration.

The Chandrayaan-2 mission aims to place an Orbiter around the moon and sending a Lander and Rover to the surface of the moon. It will be launched by a Geo-Stationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-MKII).

It may be recalled that India had launched Chandrayaan-1 on October 22, 2008. "The orbiter craft module is a three-tonne category bus structure made out of a central composite cylinder, shear webs and deck panels," HAL Chairman and Managing Director T Suvarna Raju said in a release. 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. HAL, in a release here said, its technical capabilities have made ISRO partner the PSU in all its space endeavours since the 1970s, including the recent much acclaimed low cost Mars Mission. HAL has a division at Bengaluru totally dedicated to cater to ISRO's growing requirements.