Explained: As Chandrayaan-2 makes Moon landing, here’s what you’ll see

Chandrayaan-2 Moon landing: For a few hours after the landing there would be a state of a near complete blackout and no images would be sent. That is because the landing would cause a lot of dust on lunar surface to rise.

Chandrayaan-2 Moon landing: The lander cannot use its own camera to shoot itself (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)

There is disappointment for people waiting to watch the Vikram Lander on Chandrayaan-2 descend on the moon’s surface. There would be no video of the event. Not only will there be no way to watch it descending live, the descent cannot be seen ever. That is because that is no external camera that can capture the lander’s descent.

The camera on the main spacecraft, which is orbiting the moon in a near-circular orbit of about 100 km, will not be in a position to capture the landing. And the lander cannot use its own camera to shoot itself.

Follow live updates on Chandrayaan-2 Moon landing

It is, however, possible that the camera on the Vikram Lander would be able to take images of the moon’s surface as it gets near to the landing. These images could be beamed back live.

Story continues below this ad

However, for a few hours after the landing there would be a state of a near complete blackout and no images would be sent. That is because the landing would cause a lot of dust on lunar surface to rise. Because the Moon has very low gravity, this dust would take some time to settle down.

This is also the reason why the Pragyaan Rover would emerge from the lander module only a few hours after the landing.

ALSO READ | An expert explains: ‘Seven minutes of terror’ approach. Beyond lies a new world of opportunity

Once the Pragyaan is out on the moon’s surface, however, the master control facility in Bengaluru would be able to see the images of both the lander and rover.

Story continues below this ad

Both of these modules have cameras and can capture each other. Pragyaan can only communicate with the Vikram Lander, and Vikram can ‘talk’ directly to the master control facility on earth.

Police personnel seen to control the situation during a massive protest over the statehood demand and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, in Leh on Wednesday. (ANI Video Grab)

Statehood protest takes violent turn in Ladakh, BJP office set ablaze in Leh

India55 min ago

Protests in Ladakh turned violent as students and youth organisations demanded statehood and Sixth Schedule status. Two elderly protesters fainted, prompting a shutdown call. A BJP office and security vehicle were set on fire. Activist Sonam Wangchuk urged for a peaceful approach. The demand for Sixth Schedule status is due to Ladakh's tribal-majority population and direct central administration.

View all shorts

More Explained

Explained As GST 2.0 kicks in: what changes for consumers and industry