India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission is scheduled to launch on Friday, July 14, 2023, at 2:35 pm from the Sriharikota space center in Andhra Pradesh. The mission aims to achieve a soft landing of a rover on the lunar surface and explore its secrets. India will become the fourth country to do so after the US, Russia, and China.
The launch pad and crane essential for the Chandrayaan-3 launch were constructed by Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) in Ranchi, Jharkhand. HEC built them for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The mobile launch pad is designed to transport the satellite from one location to another. HEC is also working on another mobile launch pad for ISRO.
Other companies like Larsen and Toubro (L&T) have contributed various parts and equipment for the mission. L&T manufactured the ‘middle segment and nozzle bucket flange’ as well as the ‘ground and flight umbilical plate’ for Chandrayaan-3. The ‘middle segment and nozzle bucket flange’ was produced at L&T’s plant in Powai, while the components of the ‘ground and flight umbilical plate’ were made at its aerospace plant in Coimbatore.
The countdown for the launch of Chandrayaan-3 began on Thursday, 25:30 hours before the scheduled time. This mission is a continuation of Chandrayaan-2, which was launched in 2019 but failed to achieve a soft landing of its lander, ‘Vikram.’ Chandrayaan-3 aims to overcome this challenge and join the elite club of spacefaring nations that have successfully landed rovers on the moon.”
