Chandrayaan-3 landing today to make India fourth nation on moon. The Chandrayaan-3 project, which aims to land a spacecraft on the south pole of the moon, will be finished by the Indian Space Research Agency (ISRO) on Tuesday.
This mission could have a significant impact on India’s status as a space power and the direction of lunar research.
India’s primary spaceport, located in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, launched the Chandrayaan-3 mission on July 14. The project is anticipated to make India the fourth country to set foot on the moon.
Since then, the spacecraft has transferred to a lunar orbit, looped through progressively wider-ranging Earth orbits, and become a source of pride for the country.
After Russia’s failed attempt to land first on the south pole of the moon, it also gained international attention.
Also read: Chandrayaan-3, Luna-25: The race to unravel the mysteries of Moon’s south pole
Let’s dig a little deeper into India’s remarkable mission in the race to the moon.
The Chandrayaan-3 is pointed at the lunar south pole, where there is water ice, or frozen water, which might serve as a source of oxygen, fuel, and water for upcoming moon missions or a more long-term lunar colony.
If it lands properly, Chandrayaan-3 should continue operating for two weeks while conducting a number of experiments, including a spectrometer investigation of the lunar surface’s mineral composition.
The Chandrayaan-3 lander is roughly the size of an SUV, standing around 2 meters tall and weighing just over 1,700kg (3,747.86 lb). It is intended to launch a 26-kilogram lunar rover that is smaller.
In a statement to Reuters, Nasa administrator Bill Nelson expressed that the US space agency was “looking forward” to the discoveries.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told Reuters in a statement that the US space agency was “looking forward” to the lessons that the Indian mission will provide.
Previous attempts
In an effort to arrive on the lunar south pole, India’s Chandrayaan-2 mission previously failed in 2019.
Although Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter was successfully deployed, its lander and rover were destroyed in a crash not far from the area where Chandrayaan-3 will try to land today.
One of the difficulties of a south pole landing is rough terrain. According to ISRO experts, changes have been made that increase the likelihood that the current mission would land successfully. That also consists of a mechanism to increase the probable landing zone.
Additionally, the lander has been given more fuel and stronger impact-resistant legs.
The Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon over the weekend, ending Russia’s first lunar trip in 47 years.
In April, ispace, a private Japanese space firm, failed at an attempted lunar landing.
What’s at stake?
A successful mission would establish India as a space power shortly before the country’s elections next year and make it only the fourth nation to successfully land on the moon, after the erstwhile USSR, the US, and China.
The administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to encourage investment in satellite-related industries and private space launches.
Within the next ten years, India wants its private space businesses to grow their market share in the world launch industry by a factor of five.
Modi said when the moon mission launched that ISRO was writing “a new chapter in India’s space odyssey” and elevating “the dreams and ambitions of every Indian.”
ISRO plans to telecast the planned landing starting from 1720 IST (1150 GMT) on Wednesday.
