---
title: "Chandrayaan-2: India's Moon Mission | Model Diplomat"
description: "Chandrayaan-2 was ISRO's 2019 lunar mission whose orbiter still works but whose Vikram lander crashed—a key UPSC GS3 science and tech case study explained."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/chandrayaan-2"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Chandrayaan-2 was India's second lunar exploration mission, launched by ISRO in July 2019, comprising an orbiter, the Vikram lander, and the Pragyan rover.
- Did Chandrayaan-2 succeed or fail?
- Why did the Vikram lander crash?
- How is Chandrayaan-2 different from Chandrayaan-3?
- Why is Chandrayaan-2 important for the UPSC examination?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Timeline

1. 22 July 2019

   Chandrayaan-2 was launched on from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota aboard the GSLV Mk III-M1, India's most powerful launch vehicle.

2. 20 August 2019

   Rather than a direct trans-lunar injection, the spacecraft used a series of Earth-bound orbit-raising manoeuvres exploiting the Oberth effect to conserve pro…

3. 2 September 2019

   Vikram separated from the orbiter on to begin its independent descent toward a high-latitude site near the lunar south pole.

4. 7 September 2019

   Vikram executed a rough-braking phase, a fine-braking phase, and a planned soft touchdown intended for .

5. 14 July 2023

   The lessons informed Chandrayaan-3, which ISRO launched on and which successfully soft-landed its Vikram lander and deployed the Pragyan rover near the sout…

6. 23 August 2023

   The lessons informed Chandrayaan-3, which ISRO launched on 14 July 2023 and which successfully soft-landed its Vikram lander and deployed the Pragyan rover n…

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Example

On 22 July 2019, ISRO launched Chandrayaan-2 aboard a GSLV Mk III from Sriharikota; though the Vikram lander crashed on 7 September 2019, its orbiter continued mapping the Moon.

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