Chandrayaan-2 launch: ISRO chief K Sivan prays at Tirumala temple for mission's success

Ahead of India's second unmanned moon mission — Chandrayaan 2 — Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)  chief K Sivan has visited the Balaji Temple at Tirumala hill shrine and Sri Chengalamma temple in Sullurupet to pray for the success of the mission.Sivan, accompanied by some ISRO scientists, reportedly took with him a replica figurine of Chandrayaan-2 to receive the blessings at the famous temple. It has been a custom with all ISRO chiefs to visit the temples ahead of big missions.[caption id="attachment_5874261" align="alignnone" width="1024"] ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan Image: Department of Space[/caption]After his visit to the temple, Sivan told ANI, "On Monday early morning at 2.51 am, we are going to launch the most important and prestigious mission, Chandrayaan II. A GSLV Mark III vehicle is going to be used for the mission and after a successful launch; it will take nearly two months to land on the moon at the South Pole."(To know more about the Chandrayaan 2 mission, read here.)Chandryaan-2 will explore a region of moon where no mission has ever set foot. The landing site of the mission, at about 70 degrees south latitude, is the southernmost for any mission till date. No country has attempted this before.(Also read: How to watch the Chandrayaan-2 launch live)According to the ISRO chairman, the mission is expected to bring forth a lot of new revelations in the field of Lunar science."This mission's preparations are going on without any issue and we are ensuring that the launch takes place at the given time as planned." Sivan said.With inputs from ANI. Here are a select group of stories on the mission we'd recommend reading:Chandrayaan 2: Here are answers to all your questions on India's second Moon missionChandrayaan 2 to hunt for trillion-dollar-worth Helium-3 on Moon's surfaceGSLV-MkIII, the launch platform that will make Chandrayaan-2 and Gaganyaan a realityChandrayaan 2 Orbiter: Everything you need to know about its objectives, science and designVikram Lander: All you will need to know about the vessel carrying Chandrayaan 2 Pragyan Rover to the MoonHow does ISRO’s GSLV Mk-III fare against some of the world's most powerful rockets?Chandrayaan 2 demonstrates India's potential, but engineering education standards need improvement to sustain innovationIndia plans to have a space station of its own by 2030: Here's what we can expectA brief history of every moonshot in the history of space exploration