Chandrayan 2 is launched by which rocket?
VerifiedAnswer: GSLV MkIII-M1
Explanation:
Chandrayaan-2, India's ambitious lunar mission, was successfully launched on July 22, 2019, using the GSLV MkIII-M1 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. This powerful launch vehicle was specifically chosen for its capability to carry heavy payloads to deep space destinations.
The GSLV MkIII-M1 is India's most powerful rocket, standing tall at 43.43 meters with a lift-off mass of 640 tonnes. The "M1" designation indicates that this was the first operational mission of the GSLV MkIII (Mark III) after its successful developmental flights. This three-stage rocket consists of solid propellant boosters in the first stage, liquid fuel in the second stage, and a cryogenic upper stage that provides the final thrust needed to send the spacecraft toward the Moon.
What made this launch particularly special was that Chandrayaan-2 had a total mass of 3,850 kg, making it one of the heaviest payloads ever launched by ISRO at that time. The mission included an orbiter, a lander named Vikram, and a rover called Pragyan, all packed together and requiring precise trajectory calculations to reach the lunar orbit successfully.
The GSLV MkIII-M1's performance during the Chandrayaan-2 launch was flawless. After lifting off, the rocket followed a carefully planned trajectory, placing the spacecraft into an initial Earth parking orbit. From there, Chandrayaan-2 performed a series of orbit-raising maneuvers over several weeks before beginning its journey to the Moon. This successful launch demonstrated India's growing capabilities in space technology and established GSLV MkIII as a reliable launch vehicle for future interplanetary missions.
