The launch of Chandrayaan-2 was called off due to a technical snag on Monday, 15 July. In a tweet, ISRO said that the snag was observed in launch vehicle system, 56 minutes before the launch. The launch was scheduled for 2:51 am.
"It is not possible to make the launch within the launch window. Next launch schedule will be announced later,” the space agency said.
Reports have suggested that a leak in the helium bottle of the cyrogenic engine is what delayed the launch. However, there is no confirmation from ISRO about what exactly was the technical snag.
Scientists have said that the agency will try to get the rocket back by 31 July, before the current launch window ends. The next best window, that ensures full 14 Earth days for the lander and rover on the Moon comes earliest in September next.
- Chandrayaan-2 launch was called off due to a technical snag on Monday, 15 July
- ISRO has not announced the next launch date for the second moon mission
- The Chandrayaan-2 has 13 payloads in total with eight of them in the orbiter, 3 payloads in the lander and two in the rover
- Five payloads are from India, three from Europe, two from the US and one from Bulgaria
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Chandrayaan Called Off Due to Leak in Helium Bottle: Reports
A leak in the helium bottle of the cryogenic engine of the GSLV Mk-III, the Chandrayaan-2 launch vehicle is reported by The Times of India to be the 'technical snag' that called off the launch on 15 July at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
The daily said that five sources had independently confirmed to them that the launch was put off because of a leak in the cyrogenic stage.
One source told TOI that the procedure is to pressure the helium bottle up to 350 bars and regulate the output to 50 bars. After filling the bottle, the scientists realised that the pressure was dropping, indicating at a leak. However, the exact spot of the leak was not found by the team.
In fact, a leak of the oxygen tank was detected on 22 June, as well during a ground test of a cryogenic engine.
K Sivan had Hinted at Tuesday Relaunch Date If Things go Wrong
According to an NDTV report, K Sivan had said that the space agency has another lift-off opportunity on Tuesday, 16 July if it were called off on Monday, 15 July.
However, according to the same report, launch windows have to meet several technical criteria and so it could even take weeks or months for a new date.
Chandrayaan-2 Launch Called Off Due to Technical Snag
India's second mission to Moon, Chandrayaan-2 has been called off due to a technical snag, ISRO has said.
"It is not possible to make the launch within the launch window. Next launch schedule will be announced later,” news agency PTI quoted ISRO as saying.
Countdown Put on Hold
About half an hour ahead of Chandrayaan-2’s launch, the countdown has been put on hold. Further details are awaited from ISRO.