Chandrayaan-3

CHANDRAYAAN-3

CHANDRAYAAN-3 : India’s Third Moon Mission to Attempt a Historic Landing

India is gearing up for its third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, which aims to achieve a historic feat: landing a rover on the Moon’s surface. The mission, which is expected to launch in July 2023 and land in August 2023, will demonstrate India’s technological prowess and scientific curiosity in exploring the lunar terrain.

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-up to Chandrayaan-2, which was launched in July 2019 but failed to land its rover due to a glitch in the landing guidance software. Despite the setback, Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter continues to orbit the Moon and send valuable data back to Earth. Chandrayaan-3 will reuse the same orbiter, but will have a new lander and rover, similar to Chandrayaan-2’s.

The lander, named Vikram after the father of India’s space program, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, will carry four scientific instruments: a radio experiment to study the lunar ionosphere, a thermal probe to measure the temperature of the lunar soil, a seismometer to detect moonquakes, and a laser reflector to help measure the distance between the Earth and the Moon. The rover, named Pragyan, meaning wisdom in Sanskrit, will carry two instruments: an X-ray spectrometer to analyze the elemental composition of the lunar rocks and soil, and a laser spectroscope to identify the minerals present on the surface.

The mission’s primary objective is to soft-land on the Moon and deploy the rover for at least 14 Earth days (one lunar day). The landing site chosen for Chandrayaan-3 is near the lunar south pole region, which is of great scientific interest due to the presence of water ice and other volatiles in the permanently shadowed craters. The mission will also test some key technologies for future interplanetary missions, such as autonomous navigation, hazard detection and avoidance, and precision landing.

Chandrayaan-3 is part of India’s ambitious Chandrayaan program, which began with Chandrayaan-1 in 2008. Chandrayaan-1 was India’s first lunar mission and made history by discovering water molecules on the Moon. Chandrayaan-3 is expected to further enhance India’s reputation as a space-faring nation and inspire young generations to pursue careers in science and technology.

For more information about Chandrayaan-3, you can visit the official website of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) .