India Prepares for Second Attempt to Land Spacecraft on Moon, Following Russian Crash
Bengaluru, Aug 23 – India is gearing up for its second attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon, a mission that is considered crucial for lunar exploration and the country’s status as a space power. This comes just days after a Russian lander crashed during a similar mission.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, aiming to land on the lunar south pole at approximately 6:04 p.m. local time on Wednesday. The attempt comes less than a week after Russia’s Luna-25 mission encountered a failure.
Chandrayaan, which means “moon vehicle” in Hindi and Sanskrit, is India’s second endeavor to land on the moon. In 2019, ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 successfully deployed an orbiter but faced a mishap during its landing.
ISRO announced that it is fully prepared to activate the automatic landing sequence of the spacecraft. The algorithm will take over once the spacecraft reaches the designated spot and assist in a safe landing.
If successful, Chandrayaan-3 is expected to remain functional for two weeks and conduct several experiments, including a spectrometer analysis of the mineral composition of the lunar surface.
Carla Filotico, a partner and managing director at consultancy SpaceTec Partners, emphasized the significance of landing on the moon’s south pole. She stated, “Landing on the south pole would actually allow India to explore if there is water ice on the moon. And this is very important for cumulative data and science on the geology of the moon.”
In the hours leading up to the landing, the atmosphere at the spacecraft command center in Bengaluru was filled with excitement. ISRO officials and scientists closely monitored the lander’s progress on massive screens.
Anticipation for the landing was high, with newspapers and news channels featuring banner headlines and countdown timers. Prayers were conducted at various places of worship across the country, including mosques, temples, and Sikh gurudwaras. Schoolchildren waved the Indian tricolor as they gathered to watch live screenings of the landing.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently attending the BRICS summit in South Africa, plans to witness the landing remotely.
However, landing on the moon’s south pole poses challenges due to rough terrain. A successful landing in this region would be historic and holds the potential to provide future missions with water ice, which could be used for fuel, oxygen, and drinking water.
For India, a successful moon landing would solidify its position as a space power and support the government’s efforts to boost investment in private space launches and satellite-based businesses.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission marks a significant step forward for India in terms of scientific and technological progress. “Not just economic, but India is achieving scientific and technological progress as well,” stated Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
The landing is eagerly awaited, and the entire nation is hoping for a successful outcome.
Reporting by Nivedita Bhattacharjee in Bengaluru, Writing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Editing by Gerry Doyle and Angus MacSwan