Chandrayaan-2's lander, Vikram, leaves orbiter for the Moon's surface

The lander and rover will carry out experiments to find water on the lunar surface and map for chemicals and topography

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Monday successfully separated the lunar lander, Vikram, from the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter. This was a major milestone in the mission.

The separation was done at 1:15 pm on Monday.

The lander will travel towards the lunar surface, leaving the orbiter, which will remain in orbit for one year, to continue to revolve around the Moon. 

On Sunday, Isro had successfully carried out Chandrayaan-2's fifth and final orbit manoeuvre to refine its circular path around the Moon. 

Chandrayaan-2 consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover. The 1.5-tonne lander carries the 27-kg rover. The mission