India’s latest Moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, has successfully entered the lunar orbit, according to the country’s space agency. The spacecraft, which consists of an orbiter, lander, and rover, was launched on 14 July and is scheduled to land on the lunar surface on 23 or 24 August. If successful, India will become the first country to land near the Moon’s little-explored south pole.
Only three countries, the US, the former Soviet Union, and China, have achieved a soft landing on the Moon so far. Chandrayaan-3 aims to build on the success of India’s previous Moon missions, the first of which took place in 2008. This mission discovered the presence of water molecules on the lunar surface and established an atmosphere on the Moon during daytime.
The previous mission, Chandrayaan-2, was launched in July 2019 but encountered partial success. While its orbiter continues to study the Moon, the lander and rover failed to make a soft landing and crashed during touchdown. However, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has learned from this experience and made necessary improvements in Chandrayaan-3.
ISRO Chief, Sreedhara Panicker Somanath, stated that they carefully analyzed the data from the crash and performed simulation exercises to fix the glitches. Chandrayaan-3 weighs 3,900kg and cost 6.1 billion rupees ($75 million). The lander, named Vikram, weighs around 1,500kg and carries the rover, named Pragyaan, weighing 26kg.
After completing orbits around the Earth, Chandrayaan-3 has successfully entered the Moon’s orbit. Scientists will now gradually reduce the rocket’s speed to ensure a soft landing for Vikram. Once landed, the rover will explore the Moon’s surface, collecting crucial data and images to be sent back to Earth for analysis. It is equipped with five instruments to study the surface, atmosphere, and tectonic activity of the Moon.
The south pole of the Moon remains largely unexplored, and scientists believe there is a possibility of water in the permanently shadowed areas. India’s mission to the Moon’s south pole reflects a growing global interest in lunar exploration, as the Moon is seen as a gateway to deeper space.