Chandrayaan 2 risk assessment ..

As engineers  very much interested in technology and engineering applications and as a business school professors, we look passionately forward to the technological developments happening in the country and space has been an area that has fascinated all of us.

Please click here for an earlier detailed writing on the Chandrayaan2 mission ..

The unbeatable Indian combo, the nation can never forget them ..

When ISRO could successfully carry out the Martian Orbit Insertion (MOI) 220 million kms away in 2014, the lunar orbit insertion  (LOI) just 0.38 million kms away carried out on 20 August at 9.30 AM is not a tough task for ISRO ..

ISRO made all Indians real proud !! 👍👍

As the next milestone in the project, India is edging close to soft landing the Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft on the lunar surface in the next fortnight and get a rover rove on the lunar surface then onwards. The vast opportunities to understand the evolution of the solar system and the possibility of searching for life on lunar surface are very gratifying in itself.

As a technology and risk enthusiast, I am looking at the risks associated with the project. In terms of major risks in this vast project management exercise, most important milestones in the Chandrayaan 2 project have been the following.

1. cryogenic ignition and burn completion,

2. lunar orbit insertion with angular correction

          3. lander Vikram separates from the Orbiter Chandrayaan 2

4. autonomous landing spot identification and soft landing of Vikram near lunar South Pole

5. 27 kg rover Pragyaan release onto lunar surface 4 hours after landing

6. surviving the first lunar night by first week of October promising longer life for the rover

Courtesy ISRO and BBC

From a layman perspective, it can be said that 33% of the tasks have been completed and the rest 67% is remaining. But from the technology intensity perspective, it can be said that with the successful cryogenic burn in the GSLV Mk III rocket and lunar orbit insertion, about 50% of the risk associated with the project is over. The rest 50% now rests at the separation, autonomous soft landing of the lander, the release of the rover and independent movement of the rover on lunar surface.

Task wise, only 33% of tasks are over, rest 67% are remaining ...

Hope we can find answers to these inquisitive questions.. 

• What if we are able to discover vast underground reserves of frozen ice of 4.53 billion years at lunar evolution ? 
• What story is it going to tell us of the evolution of the solar system in general ?
• Was the solar system of 4 billion years back same as it is now ?
• How did life evolve on earth and why not on moon ?  and many more  ..

George ..