The highly anticipated Chandrayaan-3 has already taken off. The final count of 3, 2, 1 was a celebration for the whole country.
We all remember how sad it was when Chandrayaan 2 couldn’t land on the moon. India was sad, but it didn’t lose hope. ISRO started planning for a new mission the very next day.
Chandrayaan-3, the 3rd Moon exploration mission by ISRO (the Indian Space Research Organisation), has several objectives. These include accomplishing a safe and gentle landing on the Moon, showcasing the rover’s capabilities for surface exploration, and conducting on-site scientific observations to analyze the chemical composition, natural elements, water, and more on the lunar surface.
Chandrayaan-3 represents a significant advancement for India’s space program, contributing to our understanding of the Moon and paving the way for future lunar exploration and interplanetary missions. Its goal is to explore the hidden side of the Moon, uncovering information about the solar system’s origins, the Earth-Moon relationship, the source of water and other gases like hydrogen, and even rare metals and minerals present on the Moon’s surface.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the Chandrayaan 3 spacecraft From the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on board the LVM3 rocket in Sriharikota on Friday, in its second attempt to place a robotic lander on the surface of the moon.
Chandrayaan-3 – and Some Important Facts About It
- 1. Chandrayaan-3 was sent into space on July 14, 2023, at 2:35 p.m. IST. The Indian rocket LVM3 took off from SDSC-SHAR’s 2nd Launch Pad (SLP) in Sriharikota. Near the Bay of Bengal, Sriharikota is a barrier island in the Shar Project town in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India.
- 2. The total cost of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is around ₹615 crore (equivalent to ₹721 crore or US$90 million in 2023). It is less than the total cost invested in Chandrayaan-2 which was ₹870 crore.
- 3. The initial part of the Chandrayaan 3 mission will take place in nearly 40 days, with an estimated meeting with the moon set for August 23.
- 4. If the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 works, India will be the fourth country in the world to have done this. So far, only the U.S., Russia, and China have been able to land softly on the Moon.
- 5. The LVM3 rocket carried its 3895-kg payload using three different rocket power stages. The maximum thrust of 10.242 km/sec (over 36,000 km/hr) was provided by the indigenous cryogenic C-25 engine fired on the rocket in the final phase, just before the Chandrayaan 3 spacecraft separated from the rocket.
- 6. The mission aims to land on the moon on either August 23 or 24, coinciding with the first day of a 15-day period of sunlight. If successful, the mission will last for at least 15 days. If the landing is not possible, the team will wait for another month when there is another 15-day period of sun, possibly starting on September 20 or later.
- 7. Despite the similarities in objectives, there are differences between Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3, including variations in lander specifications and payload experiments.
- 8. Unlike Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3 will not include an orbiter. Instead, it will consist of a lander and a rover, similar to its predecessor, with the lander responsible for the soft landing on the Moon’s surface.
- 9. The propulsion module of Chandrayaan-3 will carry the lander and rover configuration until the spacecraft reaches a lunar orbit of 100 km. It will also function as a communication relay satellite.
- 10. The Chandrayaan-3 lander has improvements compared to the Chandrayaan-2 lander. It has four throttle-able engines, enhanced impact legs, increased instrumentation redundancy, and improved structural rigidity.
- 11. The Chandrayaan-3 rover has a six-wheeled vehicle weighing around 26 kilograms. It is equipped with scientific instruments such as cameras, spectrometers, and a drill. The rover’s expected lifespan is one lunar day, equivalent to 14 Earth days.
- 12. In contrast to Chandryana 2, Chandrayaan-3 is an all-male mission, with Mohan Kumar serving as the Mission Director, Biju C. Thomas as the Vehicle/Rocket Director, and Dr. P. Veeramuthuvel as the Spacecraft Director.
- 13. Chandrayaan-3 has a significant contribution from female engineers and scientists, with approximately 54 women working directly on the project in various leadership positions.
- 14. P. Madhuri, an official at the Sriharikota rocket port, is the only visible woman associated with ISRO during the rocket launch and served as the commentator for the event.
- 15. The success of Chandrayaan-3 will further strengthen India’s position in the global space community and contribute to the country’s scientific and technological advancements.
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