The much anticipated Chandrayaan-3 mission is set to launch at 2.35 pm today onboard a Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3) from the spaceport of Sriharikota.
This moon mission is a follow-up one after the crash-landing of Chandrayaan-2 in September 2019 due to a software glitch.
The new mission aims to demonstrate India’s capability to safely land and explore the lunar surface. The spacecraft is expected to reach the moon’s South Pole and operate for one lunar day, approximately 14 Earth days.
The trajectory will follow a similar path as Chandrayaan-2, with the propulsion module orbiting the Earth several times before heading towards the moon. Once within the moon’s gravitational pull, the module will adjust its orbit to a circular path of about 100 x 100 km. Subsequently, the lander will separate and descend to the lunar surface.
According to ISRO Chairman S Somanath, while Chandrayaan-2 had a success-based design, Chandrayaan-3 has a failure-based one.
“We expanded the area of landing from 500m x 500m to four km by 2.5 km. It can land anywhere, so it doesn’t limit you to target a specific point. It will target a specific point only in nominal conditions. So, if the performance is poor, it can land anywhere within that area,” Somanath said.
On Monday, he shared minute details about what went wrong with the Vikram lander of Chandrayaan-2 as it went hurtling down towards the identified 500m x 500 m landing spot on the lunar surface with the engines designed to reduce its velocity developing higher thrust than expected.
Where to Watch Chandrayaan 3 Launch LIVE
People can watch Chandrayaan 3 launch live at the following spaces:
a) ISRO’s website – isro.gov.in
b) ISRO’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/ISRO
c) ISRO’s YouTube channels – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2ueCg9bvvQ
d) DD National and other major news channels in the country
MISSION END AND SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES
The journey from Earth to the moon is estimated to take around a month. The landing is currently scheduled for August 23-24, with potential adjustments depending on the sunrise over the moon. If necessary, ISRO will reschedule the landing for September. Described as “15 minutes of terror” by former ISRO chairperson K. Sivan, the descent poses a critical phase for the mission’s success.
Upon landing, the lander named ‘Vikram’ will deploy its four scientific payloads to study the moon’s surface temperature and subterranean characteristics. Additionally, the lander carries an instrument called ‘Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth’ (SHAPE), designed to collect data on light emission and reflection from Earth. The rover, ‘Pragyan,’ will explore the lunar surface using chemical tests as it moves across the terrain.
Science-Wise: What’s On the Moon? How ISRO Plans to Unravel the Lunar Mysteries With Chandrayaan-3
WHY EXPLORE THE MOON?
The Moon offers a multitude of answers and opportunities across various domains, comparable to the countless craters dotting its surface. As the Moon formed from Earth, it serves as a repository of Earth’s early history, preserving records that have been erased on our dynamic planet due to geological processes, explains a report by NASA.
Exploring the Moon provides scientists with invaluable insights into Earth’s origins, the formation and evolution of the Earth-Moon system, and the influence of asteroid impacts on Earth’s past and potentially its future.
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