India’s Chandrayaan-3 successfully lands on moon
India has achieved a historic milestone in its space exploration programme by successfully landing its third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, on the Moon’s south pole region. This is the first time that any country has explored this uncharted territory, which is of immense scientific interest due to its potential for water ice and other resources.
Chandrayaan-3 was launched on 14 July 2023, at 2:35 pm IST as scheduled, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India. The mission consisted of a lander named Vikram and a rover named Pragyan, similar to those of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, which failed to make a soft landing in September 2019 due to a glitch in the landing guidance software. The propulsion module of Chandrayaan-3 acted as an orbiter and carried the lander and rover configuration until the spacecraft attained a 153 × 163 km lunar orbit on 5 August 2023.
The powered descent of the lander began on 23 August 2023, around 05:45 pm IST, after separating from the orbiter. The lander performed a series of manoeuvres to reduce its speed and altitude, while avoiding obstacles on the lunar surface. The lander successfully touched down on the lunar south pole region at 06:04 pm IST, near the coordinates 69°22′03″S 32°20′53″E, between Manzinus C and Simpelius N craters. The landing site was chosen for its relatively flat terrain and proximity to the permanently shadowed regions that may harbour water ice.
The lander deployed the rover Pragyan, which rolled out of the ramp and began its exploration of the lunar surface. The rover has a mass of 26 kg and is powered by solar energy. It can travel up to 500 m at a speed of 1 cm per second. It is equipped with six wheels, two cameras, a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument, an alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) and a passive thermal probe. The rover will perform in-situ analysis of the lunar soil, rocks and craters, and relay the data to the lander, which will then transmit it to the Earth via the orbiter.
The lander and rover are expected to operate for up to 14 days, which is one lunar day. The orbiter will continue to orbit the Moon for at least one year, providing communication support for the lander and rover, as well as conducting its own scientific observations. The orbiter has a mass of 2148 kg and is powered by solar panels. It carries eight scientific instruments, including a high-resolution camera, a synthetic aperture radar, a near-infrared spectrometer, a dual frequency radio science experiment and a soft X-ray monitor.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission is a major achievement for India’s space agency ISRO, which has demonstrated its capability to conduct complex and challenging lunar missions. The mission is also a significant contribution to the global scientific community, as it will provide valuable data and insights into the lunar south pole region, which is considered to be a potential site for future human settlements and exploration.