THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is a news of great pride and happiness to the people of Kerala. Six Malayalis are among those working hard to make India's dream lunar mission a reality.
These six key figures are behind the GSLV MkIII which carries Chandrayaan 2 to its designated orbit. The three-stage vehicle is India’s most powerful launcher to date and is capable of launching 4-tonne class of satellites to the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
IN PICTURES | Chandrayaan 2: The six key figures from Kerala making India's lunar mission dream a reality
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle MARK-III (GSLV Mk-III)
Height:43.43 m
Lift-off mass: 640 tonnes
Payload Fairing (PLF)
Chandrayaan 2 Composite Module
C25 Cryogenic stage
S200 Solid rocket boosters
L110 liquid stage
Chandrayaan-2’s rover is a six-wheel robotic vehicle, Pragyan, which is Sanskrit for ‘wisdom’. It can travel up to 500 m at a speed of 1 cm per second and uses solar energy to function. It can communicate with the lander.