Why should the final minutes of the Chandrayaan 2 mission matter?

Here is a talk with T.V. Venkateswaran, Senior Scientist at Vigyan Prasar, where we try to understand the landing process, and what it means for India and the world. There is also a summary of the last few days after the launch of the Chandrayaan mission. 

India launched Chandrayaan 2 on July 22, 2019, after a delay of a week because of a technical glitch. The mission is expected to investigate the possibilities of water on the Moon's south pole. It is also expected to explore the surface of the Moon to find minerals that can provide more information about the moon. 

The $146 million mission included various indigenous cost-effective methods to make the mission a low-cost mission. India is one of the four countries including China, Russia, and the United States to send a mission to the moon. 

After the successful launch of the mission from Sriharikota ISRO Chairman K. Sivan said, "We are going to experience 15 minutes of terror, to ensure that the landing is done safely near the south pole."

The last few minutes of the spacecraft will not be controlled by scientists from the earth. It will follow its own previously programmed action to act depending on the situation the lander encounters before landing on the surface. 

India's research budget for space research in 2019/20 is 124.7 billion rupees ($1.81 billion). This is an increase of 75 per cent since 2014. Why? Maybe because satellites and space exploration missions are the next steps that will take humanity forward, bringing with it a lot of opportunities as well as related threats.

The moon has become an important destination as the future mission to Mars and planets beyond might start from the moon. This means a base station will be created to send astronauts or spacecraft to Mars.