It is like a flying saucer hovering over Moon’s surface: G Madhavan Nair

New Delhi: Describing the soft-landing on the Moon, former Isro chief G. Madhavan Nair said that it's something like flying saucers coming in hovering on the top and then slowly descending like in science fiction.

It's almost a similar sequence which the Isro is going to implement, with practically no real-time controls on the ground.

“...Only on-board cameras would look for the right location and once it matches, there are five rocket engines which will precisely control by first reducing the speed and then making it virtually float at that point and have some lateral movement in such a way that it goes just to the location, slowly guide it to the landing site," Mr Nair explained.

Cameras, laser ranging systems, onboard computers and, above all, software required for the entire operation, have to work in unison, said Mr Nair, who spearheaded the Chandrayaan-1 mission more than a decade ago.

“It's a very, very complex operation. I don't think any nation has done a similar operation trying to have real time pictures and then try to have an onboard computer implement autonomously the function of the landing. It's going to be a remarkable event and we are all looking forward to that event. I am sure it will be a 100 per cent success," he said.