With less than a week left for India's second lunar mission to Moon, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Sivan has that the lander separation will take place after the fifth and final manuever is completed, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday evening (September 1) between 6-7 pm.

The lander separation is expected to take place on Monday afternoon, said K Sivan, ISRO chief while speaking to WION.

Chandrayaan-2 is heading successfully towards its final destination and is scheduled to land on moon on September 7 at 1:55 am (Saturday). After revolving around the earth's orbit for nearly 23 days, the craft began its journey to the moon on August 14.

Around 60 students, two each from every state and Union Territory, will be watching the landing of Chandrayaan-2 on the moon along with PM Modi, after they won once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by participating in ISRO quiz competition.

Four of those students, from Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh are among those 282 who participated in the online quiz for Chandrayaan 2 that afforded them the privilege.

On Friday (August 30), Chandrayaan-2 successfully completed its 4th lunar orbit manoeuvre, taking the spacecraft one step closer to land on the south pole of the moon.

ISRO said the Chandrayaan-2 manoeuvre was performed at 6:18 pm Friday and it lasted for 19.25 minutes.

India created history on July 22 when ISRO launched the country’s second lunar mission. 

Chandrayaan 2 seeks to explore the far side of the moon, a feat no other country has achieved yet. If this landing is successful, the 10-billion-rupee mission will allow scientists to carry out studies regarding the presence of water at the moon’s south pole.

The Chandrayaan-2 lunar mission will make India the fourth country in the world to land a rover on the moon. It will also be the only country to land a rover on the south pole region of the moon.