The Chandrayaan-2 Indian spacecraft takes its first image of the moon

From India Chandrayaan Mission-2 is in orbit around the moon and its view is spectacular.

The spaceship entered lunar orbit on August 19th (August 20, local time, flying the mission to India), about a month after its launch, July 22. In order to make the journey easier with a smaller rocket, the probe took a long way to the moon, with about seven weeks between the launch and the planned landing of the landing gear and mission orbiter.

the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), who directs the Chandrayaan-2 mission, released the first image of the moon taken by the spacecraft, orbital. This image was taken about 2650 km above the lunar surface on Wednesday August 21st. The photo shows the equatorial region in which the Apollo missions landed.

Related: Indian Mission Chandrayaan-2 on the Moon in Photos

But this region is not the destination of Chandrayaan-2. An orbiter will separate from the Indian mission, then the lander, with a mobile stowed on board, will move to a place much closer to the south pole of the moonwith a scheduled landing for September 6 (September 7, local time under the control of the mission).

ISRO chose this destination partly on the basis of the conclusions of the predecessor of the mission, who was carrying the instrument that spotted frozen water ice in permanently shaded craters near the lunar south pole. India has therefore built a second mission, this time adding a dismounted component, to follow up on this discovery.

If the lander lands safely, India will become the fourth country to complete this feat, after the Soviet Union, the United States and the United Kingdom. China. The LG and Rover could operate on a lunar day but are not designed to withstand the cold, lunar nights.

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