Chandrayaan-2 Launch: 'Baahubali' to carry India's dreams to dark side of the moon

Chandrayaan-2 Launch: Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-2 will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh with the help of a GSLV Mk-III rocket on July 15, 2019. The country's most advanced spacecraft will be launched with an aim to place a rover on the moon and explore its surface for signs of water and possibly new origins of energy.

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk-III rocket), also known as 'Fat Boy' by Indian scientists is one of the biggest and the most powerful rockets available in India.

Chandrayaan-2, India's second lunar mission will carry three lunar exploration robots -- a lander, rover and orbiter -- to survey the moon from the sky and the surface for nearly 14 days.

Here's everything that you need to know about the GSLV Mk-III, aka 'Baahubali':

• Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III is a three-stage rocket.
• The first stage consists of two solid motor strap-ons (S200) fitted to either side of the rocket. These tanks will provide the necessary initial thrust to push the rocket against the gravitational force and out of Earth's atmosphere. The strap-on tanks remain functional and fall back to the Earth around 140 seconds after launch.
• The second stage of the propulsion consists of a liquid propellant core stage (L110) that burns liquid fuel and ignites 114 seconds after lift-off. The core booster is the primary source of thrust after the strap-on tanks detach from the rocket.
• The final stage is a cryogenic engine (C25), designed for carrying the four-tonne class satellites, powered by CE-20. This is also India's largest cryogenic engine and is developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre. This engine is installed in the top part of the GSLV Mk-III and provides the last-mile thrust after the liquid core booster is separated from the rocket.
• GSLV Mk-III was primarily designed to launch communication satellites into geostationary orbit. The rocket has a mass of around 640 tonnes and can carry up to 8,000 kg payload to lower earth orbit (LEO) and 4000 kg payload to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).
• Apart from Chandrayaan-2, GSLV Mk-III is also all set to be a part of ISRO's Gaganyaan mission, in which three Indians will be sent to space.
• GSLV Mk-III is also referred to as the Bahubali after the Telugu media began referring to the rocket after the protagonist of the eponymous fantasy Telugu film duology.

(Edited by Vivek Dubey)

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