Chandrayaan 3 News Live: ISRO is closing in on an attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon's south pole, a mission with implications for the country's standing as a space power and for future lunar exploration. The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 from Andhra Pradesh.
If any factor regarding the lander module appears unfavourable, then the landing will be shifted to August 27, the Space Applications Centre-ISRO about Chandrayaan-3 said on Monday.
Nilesh M Desai, director of Space Applications Centre-ISRO, Ahmedabad said that the decision regarding the landing will be taken based on the health of the lander module and the conditions on the Moon.
Chandrayaan 3 Live Updates: Vikram lander's dramatic lunar descent
T-20 Countdown: As the day of landing arrives, a gripping phase known as the "twenty minutes of terror" or T-20 kicks in, adding intense suspense to the final moments of the mission.
Commanded Descent: Responding to commands from Bengaluru, the Vikram lander initiates its descent towards the moon's surface, starting from an altitude of 25 kilometers.
Powered Descent Velocity: Engaging in a powered descent, the Vikram lander hurtles towards the moon's surface at a remarkable velocity of 1.68 kilometers per second, equivalent to a staggering 6048 kilometers per hour – nearly ten times the speed of an airplane.
Rough Braking Phase: Despite the high speed, the Vikram lander begins to decelerate, firing all its engines. However, it maintains an almost horizontal orientation relative to the moon's surface, a phase referred to as the "rough braking phase," which spans approximately 11 minutes.
Transition to Fine Braking: Employing skillful maneuvers, the Vikram lander is gradually adjusted to become vertical with respect to the moon's surface, marking the start of the delicate "fine braking phase." During the Chandrayaan-2 mission, it was the fine braking phase that saw the Vikram lander losing control and tumbling into a crash.
Hovering Above the Surface: Positioned at a height of 800 meters above the moon's surface, both horizontal and vertical velocities reach zero, causing the Vikram lander to hover gracefully as it surveys the landing area below.
Further Descent and Imaging: Continuing its descent, the Vikram lander descends even closer, hovering at just 150 meters above the lunar terrain. In this phase, it captures vital images to detect hazards and scout for the optimal landing site.
Final Touchdown: The climax of the descent unfolds as the Vikram lander touches down on the lunar surface, utilizing only two engines for a controlled landing. Its robust legs are engineered to withstand a maximum impact of 3 meters per second, equivalent to around 10.8 kilometers per hour.
Once the lander's leg sensors detect contact with the lunar surface, the engines cease operation, effectively concluding the intense twenty minutes of suspense and uncertainty that characterized the landing process.
Chandrayaan 3 Live Updates: What makes the south pole especially tricky?
Attempted landings on the moon have failed before. Russia's Luna-25 craft had been scheduled to land on the south pole this week but spun out of control on approach and crashed on Sunday. The south pole - far from the equatorial region targeted by previous missions, including the crewed Apollo landings - is full of craters and deep trenches.
ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission is on track for an attempted landing on Wednesday, the space agency has said. A previous Indian mission failed in 2019 to safely land near the area targeted by Chandrayaan-3.
Both the United States and China have planned missions to the south pole.
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