SRINAGAR: India’s third moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, was launched on July 14, 2023, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The mission is expected to land on the moon in the later part of the month of August.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission update:
The spacecraft’s health is normal.The first orbit-raising maneuver (Earthbound firing-1) is successfully performed at ISTRAC/ISRO, Bengaluru.
Spacecraft is now in 41762 km x 173 km orbit. pic.twitter.com/4gCcRfmYb4
— ISRO (@isro) July 15, 2023
The success of the mission will make India the fourth nation after China, Soviet Union and United States of America to land on the moon.
Jitendra Singh, Union Space Minister claimed that the Chandrayaan-3 mission, “will take up the exploration of the Moon where India’s first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1, left and in the process, it will look for resources that could sustain life,” Times of India quoted him saying.
According to reports, Chandrayaan-3 is a better version of Chandrayaan-2. The mission successfully launched the onboard Launch Vehicle Mark-3 LVM-3 rocket. This is India’s attempt after the failure of Chandrayaan-2 in 2019.
Heading India’s lunar expedition is Ritu Karidhal, also known as “Rocket Woman” for her remarkable contributions to space exploration. As the mission director, she spearheads Chandrayaan-3, an endeavor of paramount importance for India’s enduring presence in lunar exploration.
Packed with six cutting-edge payloads, its mission is to delve into the lunar soil and capture images of our planet Earth from the lunar orbit. The highly anticipated touchdown on the moon is scheduled for August 23, 2023, when Vikram, the lander, along with its companion, Pragyaan, the rover, will land on the lunar surface.
Pragyaan’s primary task is to gather invaluable data on the moon’s composition and geology, providing scientists with insights into the captivating history and evolution of our celestial neighbor.
But Chandrayaan-3’s ambitions extend beyond lunar exploration. Alongside its primary objective, the mission will conduct an array of scientific experiments to investigate the moon’s environment, spanning its history, geology, and even the potential abundance of resources it holds.
Several Lander special tests like Integrated Cold Test – For the demonstration of Integrated Sensors & Navigation performance test using helicopter as test platform, Integrated Hot test – For the demonstration of closed loop performance test with sensors, actuators and NGC using Tower crane as test platform and Lander Leg mechanism performance test on a lunar simulant test bed simulating different touch down conditions have been planned and carried out successfully.
The ISRO Chairman S Somanath following the successful launch stated that the next 42 days are important and if everything goes as planned then the landing of the mission on the moon is expected to be on August 23.
“As per the nominal programme, we will have five earthbound manoeuvres [that] will end on July 31,” the Chairman told reporters as quoted by The Hindu. “After that we have the trans-lunar insertion, [which] will take place on August 1. After that, it will be captured [by the] moon. This will be followed by the separation of the propulsion module and the lander module on August 17.”
Chandrayaan-3 scripts a new chapter in India's space odyssey. It soars high, elevating the dreams and ambitions of a every Indian. This momentous achievement is a testament to our scientists' relentless dedication. I salute their spirit and ingenuity! https://t.co/gko6fnOUaK
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 14, 2023
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to his twitter handle, hailing the launch he stated, “Chandrayan-3 scripts a new chapter in India’s space odyssey. It soars high, elevating the dreams and ambitions of every Indian… This momentous achievement is a testament to our scientists’ relentless dedication. I salute their spirit and ingenuity!”
