Chandrayaan-3, the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) third lunar mission, paves India’s way to achieving a successful soft landing on the moon. Upon achieving this feat, India will join an elite club of countries including the United States, Russia, and China. The mission aims not just for landing but also for scientific experiments and new technologies demonstration, bringing a new dawn for interplanetary missions.
About Chandrayaan-3
Setting off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota on July 14, 2023, Chandrayaan-3 had a clear objective – to demonstrate safe and soft landing on the Lunar Surface and roving of Rover. Moreover, the mission also involved conducting in-situ scientific experiments. The mission consists of an Indian Lander module, Propulsion module and a Rover.
Highlights of Chandrayaan-3
As part of Chandrayaan-3 mission, six payloads remained on the Vikram lander and rover Pragyan, as was the case with Chandrayaan-2. These payloads aim to study various aspects of the lunar environment, including lunar quakes, plasma changes near the surface, thermal properties of the lunar surface and measure the distance between Earth and the moon accurately. Also, Chandrayaan-3’s propulsion module introduced a new experiment called Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE), which is designed to analyze reflected light from smaller planets to assess their potential habitability.
Improvements in Chandrayaan-3
Several enhancements were made in Chandrayaan-3 compared to its predecessor. The landing area has now been expanded, giving more flexibility to safely land within a larger designated area. Also, the lander has been equipped with more fuel for longer-distance travel. The Chandrayaan-3 Lander now has solar panels on four sides, as opposed to two in the earlier model. High-resolution images from the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter are being used to determine the landing location along with physical modifications made to enhance stability and sturdiness.
Launch and Timeline
The LVM3 M4 launcher was successfully utilized to launch Chandrayaan-3. Sixteen minutes after the lift-off, the spacecraft separated from the rocket and entered an elliptic parking orbit (EPO). The estimated journey of Chandrayaan-3 is approximately 42 days and it’s scheduled to land on lunar dawn of August 23, 2023. The mission life of the lander and the rover is one lunar day (about 14 Earth days).
Landing Near Lunar South Pole: Significance
While most of the previous Moon missions targeted the equatorial region, Chandrayaan-3 has been aimed at the challenging lunar south pole. Sunlight scarcity and extreme cold temperatures pose significant difficulties here. However, these harsh conditions make these areas potential treasure troves of valuable information about the early Solar System.
India’s Previous Chandrayaan Missions
India’s tryst with lunar exploration started with Chandrayaan-1 in 2008. It aimed to create a three-dimensional atlas of the moon and conduct mineralogical mapping. Subsequently, Chandrayaan-2, despite suffering a partial failure, made significant discoveries including water signatures at all latitudes.
Types of Moon Missions
There are various types of Moon missions such as Flybys, Orbiters, Impact Missions, Landers, Rovers and Human Missions. Flybys involve spacecraft passing near the moon without entering its orbit. Orbiters entail prolonged studies of the moon’s surface and atmosphere. Impact missions are extensions of orbiter missions which involve instruments making an uncontrolled landing on the lunar surface. Landers aim for a soft landing on the moon’s surface for close-quarter observations, while Rovers move independently on the lunar surface to gather valuable data.
Future of Lunar Exploration: NASA’s Artemis Program
Human missions involve landing astronauts on the moon’s surface. Such a feat has been achieved only by NASA till now, with six successful landings between 1969 and 1972. The upcoming Artemis III mission in 2025 marks humanity’s return to the moon.