India’s Chandrayaan-3 Achieves Historic Lunar Touchdown: A Giant Leap for Space Exploration
India’s ambitious lunar endeavor, Chandrayaan-3, marked a monumental milestone as it successfully landed on the lunar south pole at 6:04 pm on Wednesday. This historic achievement propels India into an elite group of nations and firmly establishes it as the first to achieve a soft landing on this uncharted lunar terrain.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scripted history with the triumphant touchdown of its third Moon mission, solidifying the nation’s prowess in space exploration.
This achievement, a testament to India’s burgeoning space capabilities, was realized through the combined efforts of the lander (Vikram) and the 26 kg rover (Pragyan). The duo executed a gentle landing near the Moon’s south polar region, a feat accomplished less than a week after a Russian lander’s unfortunate crash.
With this successful endeavor on only its second attempt in four years, India joins an exclusive league of nations capable of soft-landing on the lunar surface. This distinguished group includes the United States, China, and the former Soviet Union.
Chandrayaan-3, a follow-on mission to its predecessor Chandrayaan-2, embarks on a journey to showcase safe and precise soft-landing techniques on the lunar surface. The mission also encompasses lunar roving and conducting in-situ scientific experiments.
This accomplishment comes after the previous setback faced by Chandrayaan-2, which encountered a failed lunar phase when its lander ‘Vikram’ experienced an anomaly in its braking system, leading to a crash on September 7, 2019. The maiden mission of Chandrayaan was launched in 2008.
With a budget of INR 600 crore, the Chandrayaan-3 mission commenced its journey on July 14 aboard the Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket. The mission embarked on a 41-day voyage, culminating in a successful landing near the lunar south pole.
This achievement follows shortly after the unfortunate outcome of Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft, which spun out of control and crashed into the Moon.
The lander, along with its six-wheeled rover (total mass of 1,752 kg), is designed to operate for one lunar daylight period, equivalent to approximately 14 Earth days. The four-legged lander is equipped with an array of sensors, including accelerometers, altimeters, Doppler velocimeters, inclinometers, touchdown sensors, and a suite of hazard avoidance and positional knowledge cameras.
The lander accommodates the rover within a compartment featuring a deployment ramp, facilitating its release onto the lunar surface.
