All eyes, for the global space community, will be set on Chandrayaan-3 — India’s historic moon mission to the lunar southernmost. Space scientists and enthusiasts alike, all will be watching with bated breath, as humans — for the first time — attempt a landing and exploration on the Moon’s non-visible southernmost. Russia also attempted a similar landing with Luna-25, but the probe crashed on the moon, failing to achieve any desired objectives.
If Chandrayaan-3 does make a successful landing, not only will that make India the only country to land a craft on the Lunar south-pole, it would also open up a plethora of scientific answers to some of humanity’s biggest space questions
This mission, while of immense global scientific importance already, would also herald a new era for India’s space exploration plans. The country is gearing up for its first human spaceflight program next year, and has ambitious plans for landing humans on both moon and mar in a not-so-far-future. And that India is able to achieve all this, with a combined annual space budget equivalent to nearly a tenth of NASA’s, further adds to the promise of affordable space travel in the near future
Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2, which India launched back in 2019. While Chandrayaan-2 was also an orbiter+lander mission, the later part failed as the lander crashed into the moon. Nevertheless, C-2 continued to orbit the moon, and does so till date, sending back crucial data. The orbiter also recently made contact with Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover, thus helping ISRO keep a contact with the lander through multiple channels
The propulsion module that carried the Chandrayaan-3 lander-rover combo, Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the spectral and Polar metric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit
Lander payloads: Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment to measure the thermal conductivity and temperature; Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity for measuring around the landing site; Langmuir Probe to estimate the plasma density and its variations. A passive Laser Retroreflector Array from NASA is accommodated for lunar laser ranging studies
Rover payloads: Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope or deriving the elemental composition in the vicinity of landing site
Chandrayaan-3 is India's lunar mission which has been successful soft landed on the Moon's surface. Following the achievements of Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2, this mission seeks to demonstrate India's technological prowess and advance lunar exploration. Equipped with advanced instruments, it will conduct scientific studies, analyze lunar soil, and gather crucial data for research. Chandrayaan-3 is a testament to India's commitment to space exploration and its pursuit of greater understanding of the Moon's mysteries. This mission holds the promise of enhancing our knowledge of lunar geology and contributing to the global space community's advancements.
Through Chandrayaan-3, India aims to showcase its technological prowess, scientific capabilities, and its commitment to space exploration. If Chandrayaan-3 is a success, it will further strengthen India's position in the global space community. This mission will inspire the younger generation to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
The mission objectives of Chandrayaan-3 are to demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, to demonstrate rover roving on the moon and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments. To achieve the mission objectives, several advanced technologies are present in Lander such as laser & RF-based Altimeters, Propulsion System, etc. To demonstrate such advanced technologies successfully in earth conditions, several Lander special tests, like Integrated Cold Test, Integrated Hot test and Lander Leg mechanism performance test, have been planned and carried out successfully.
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