chandrayaan 3 km travel

Chandrayaan-3: A complete guide to India's third mission to the moon

A rover and lander will together explore the moon's surface.

Chandrayaan-3 mission goals

Chandrayaan-3 science payloads, past chandrayaan missions, lessons learned from failed chandrayaan-2, additional resources.

Chandrayaan-3 is India's next moon mission.

The spacecraft launched to the moon on July 14, 2023, at 5:05 a.m. EDT (0905 GMT or 2:35 p.m. local time July 14) from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India atop the medium-lift Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) rocket.

Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed near the moon's south pole on Aug. 23, 2023, at 8:33 a.m. ET (1233 GMT or 6:03 p.m. India Standard Time). 

The mission is managed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). ISRO's roots go back to the beginning of space exploration, as a predecessor agency was set up in 1962 and its first rocket launch was in 1963. ISRO itself was established in 1969.

In June 2023, shortly before the scheduled Chandrayaan-3 launch, India also signed on to the NASA-led Artemis Accords aiming for peaceful human and robotic exploration of the moon. While the immediate benefits of the accords accrue to human spaceflight, according to the White House , the data from Chandrayaan-3 may be useful for future Artemis human landings too.

Related: Every mission to the moon

Chandrayaan-3 costs roughly $77 million USD, according to the Times of India .

The three main objectives of Chandrayaan-3 are to land safely on the surface, to demonstrate rover operations and to perform scientific experiments on site, according to the official website . 

The mission called for a propulsion module to ferry the Chandrayaan-3' Vikram ("valor") lander and the solar-powered rover named Pragyan (Sanskrit for "wisdom") rover together to the south pole of the moon, according to NASA . 

The module then entered lunar orbit and maneuvered into a roughly circular path about 60 miles (100 km) above the surface. Then the lander separated from the module and aimed for a soft landing on the surface, achieving this on Aug. 23, 2023.

The lander and rover will collect science on the surface for 14 Earth days (a single day on the moon), while the propulsion module will gaze at our planet for its own science experiment.

The spacecraft package (rover, lander and propulsion module) includes "advanced technologies" to meet the mission objectives, ISRO says. Examples include hazard detection and avoidance on the rover, a landing leg mechanism to aim for a soft touchdown, and altimeters and velocity instruments to estimate altitude and speed above the moon.

ISRO has performed several technology tests to simulate lunar conditions, the agency emphasized, focusing on matters such as soaking instruments in cold temperatures similar to the moon or doing a lander leg test on a simulated surface under different landing conditions.

Related: ISRO: The Indian Space Research Organization

Science on the Chandrayaan-3 mission is split between the lander, the rover and the propulsion module payload.

"The lander is ... generally box-shaped, with four landing legs and four landing thrusters," NASA writes of the design . Its approximate 3,900-pound (1,752-kilogram) mass will include 57 pounds (26 kgs) for the rover. 

The lander includes:

• Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) to measure thermal conductivity and temperature on the surface;
• Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) to detect moonquakes;
• Langmuir Probe to estimate the density and variation of plasma, or superheated gas, in the moon's environment; 
• A Laser Retroreflector Array (from NASA) to measure distances using laser ranging..

The rover "is a rectangular chassis mounted on a six-wheel rocker-bogie wheel drive assembly," NASA added. The rover sends its communications to Earth through the lander. Rover instruments include:

• Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) to look for elements in the lunar soil and rocks;
• Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) to examine the chemical and elemental composition of the lunar surface.

The propulsion module "is a box-like structure with one large solar panel mounted on one side and a large cylinder on top ... that acts as a mounting structure for the lander," NASA says. The propulsion module is more than 2.2 tons (2 tonnes in mass.)

The module's single experiment is the Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) investigation that will assist with exoplanet searches. The experiment will "gather data on the polarization of light reflected by Earth so that researchers can look for other planets with similar signatures," according to Nature .

Chandrayaan-1 was India's first mission to the moon. It launched Oct. 22, 2008 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India, aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket. It achieved lunar orbit on Nov. 8. It released a Moon Impact Probe on Nov. 14 that deliberately crashed into the moon later that day. 

Chandrayaan-1 is best known for finding evidence of water ice on the moon. NASA made the announcement on September 2009, based on data collected by the agency's Moon Mineralogy Mapper. The instrument found evidence of hydroxyl (a form of water, hydrogen and oxygen) in the moon's regolith or dust. 

The Moon Impact Probe also found water's signature before impacting the surface, providing a separate set of data. More confirmations came from the Cassini  spacecraft and the Deep Impact  spacecraft's extended EPOXI mission.

Chandrayaan-2 was India's second mission to the moon. It launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India, aboard a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket on July 22, 2019. It made it to lunar orbit on Aug. 19, 2019.

On Sept. 6, Chandrayaan-2 released the Vikram moon lander , but mission officials lost contact with it as it was just 1.3 miles (2.1 km) above the surface. Although the lander was lost, the orbiter continues to work well. It carries eight different instruments and continues to send back high-definition imagery of the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3 will build upon the "lessons learned" from the unsuccessful landing that took place during Chandrayaan-2, ISRO told the Business Standard .

"With optimized payload configurations, improved lander capabilities, and utilizing existing (spacecraft) resources, the mission is expected to address past challenges," the Business Standard wrote of ISRO's approach to Chandrayaan-3.

For example, Chandrayaan-3 will simplify its mission design to not include an orbiter. The predecessor mission, Chandrayaan-2, will therefore handle all communications to Earth from the propulsion module, the rover and the lander.

The propulsion module ferrying Chandraayan-3 to the moon will also only include a single science instrument, as opposed to Chandrayaan-2's orbiter which carried nine. This will simplify the amount of work the propulsion module performs, allowing engineers to focus on its crucial role in bringing the rover and lander to the moon.

The lander of Chandraayan-3 also includes key upgrades. ISRO stated it will have two "lander hazard detection and avoidance cameras" meant to help the lander avoid obstacles on the surface during the descent. Chandrayaan-2 only carried one such camera, and Chandrayaan-3's cameras aim to be more robust than the predecessor mission.

Read more about Chandraayan-3 on the official ISRO website . NASA has technical details about the mission as well.

Bibliography

The Business Standard. (2023, July 7). "Chandrayaan-3: What is it, and how does it improve on its predecessor?" https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/chandrayaan-3-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-improve-on-its-predecessor-123070700477_1.html

Padma, T.V. (2023, July 7). "India shoots for the moon with Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander." Nature . https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02217-0

The White House. (2023, June 22.) "Republic of India official state visit to the United States." https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/22/fact-sheet-republic-of-india-official-state-visit-to-the-united-states/

Times of India. (2023, July 6). "Chandrayaan-3 launch on July 14; August 23-24 preferred landing dates." http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/101547465.cms

Times of India. (2020, Jan. 2.) "Chandrayaan-3 to cost Rs 615 crore, launch could stretch to 2021." https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/chandrayaan-3-to-cost-rs-615-crore-launch-could-stretch-to-2021/articleshow/73055941.cms

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Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, " Why Am I Taller ?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace

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August 23, 2023

Chandrayaan-3 Makes Historic Touchdown on the Moon

The successful lunar landing of the Chandrayaan-3 mission makes India only the fourth country to achieve the feat

By Jatan Mehta

Onlookers wave Indian flags while watching the launch of the nation’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission.

R.SATISH BABU/AFP via Getty Images

BENGALURU, India—Quiet moments of nail-biting tension gave way to cheers of joy in the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) mission control center as the space agency sent its lunar lander—and India—into the annals of history. On August 23 at 12:33 P.M. UTC India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission’s robotic lander, named Vikram, touched down on the moon near its south pole. Launched on July 14, Chandrayaan-3 was the result of ISRO doubling down on its bet on lunar landing after the unfortunate crash of its Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019. With the spacecraft now safely on the moon, ISRO’s efforts have paid off, and India has become the fourth country to achieve a soft lunar landing, following the former Soviet Union, the U.S. and China.

Chandrayaan-3’s entire lunar descent had to be fully autonomous. During this crucial stage of the mission, signals take about three seconds to go from the lander to Earth and back again—a delay too long for earthbound ISRO engineers to reliably guide the landing. So Vikram’s task was to reduce its high orbital velocity to zero such that it would stay as close to its intended trajectory as possible, all the way until a safe touchdown. To do so, it needed to orchestrate the firing of its engines based on continuous measurements of distance, velocity and orientation.

To stick the landing this time around, ISRO built far more redundancies and safeguards into Chandrayaan-3 than it had for Chandrayaan-2. In an August 5 talk detailing these changes, ISRO’s chief S. Somanath emphasized how Chandrayaan-3 carried more fuel and a better guidance, navigation and control system to correct even major deviations from the intended paths. “There were improvements to 21 subsystems for Chandrayaan-3. These changes have been reinforced by numerous helicopter- and crane-based ground tests,” says Nilesh Desai , director of ISRO’s Space Applications Center (SAC) in Ahmedabad, India.

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Evidently, these improvements have culminated in the triumphant touchdown of Chandrayaan-3. This success wasn’t a given, especially when considering that four out of the previous six lunar landing attempts within the past five years have failed. The latest failure occurred on August 19, when Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft misfired its engines and crashed into the moon —a brutal reminder that getting to the lunar surface in one piece remains risky. Luna-25 thus joins the ruins of the Israel-based company SpaceIL’s Beresheet , India’s Chandrayaan-2 and the private Japanese firm ispace’s Hakuto-R spacecraft. Thankfully, at least Chandrayaan-3’s outcome has instead followed those of China’s Chang’e 4 and Chang’e 5 landers, the only other recent successes.

“We now have a tremendous responsibility to inspire India and the world at levels no less than this landing,” said Sankaran Muthusamy, director of the U. R. Rao Satellite Center (URSC), the ISRO center that led the construction and integration of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft and mission.

How Chandrayaan-3 Made It to the Moon

Chandrayaan-3’s about 19-minute-long lunar descent comprised four major phases. The first, the “rough braking” phase, began when the spacecraft was 30 kilometers above the moon in its orbit and about 750 km downrange from its landing site. By firing all of its four 800-newton main engines for about 12 minutes until it was at a 7-km altitude, Chandrayaan-3 reduced its high horizontal velocity of about 1.7 kilometers per second by some 80 percent.

Next came a brief but crucial 10-second “attitude hold” phase, wherein the lander stabilized itself using its eight smaller thrusters to gain a steady view of the looming lunar surface for its various landing sensors .

For height measurements, Chandrayaan-3 relied on two altimeters, one using lasers and the other using microwaves. While laser altimeters are commonly employed by several lunar landers, they can report anomalous heights at times if, say, a lander passes over mountainous terrain or large craters. “Instead the microwave altimeter’s wider footprint allowed Chandrayaan-3 to better tolerate abrupt changes in altitude,” explains Priyanka Mehrotra of SAC, who is lead system designer of Chandrayaan-3’s Ka-Band microwave altimeter.

Where Past Landings Faltered

Chandrayaan-3’s redundant altimetry is especially pertinent because of the role laser altimetry played during the failed April 25 touchdown of ispace’s first lunar lander . As that lander passed over the rim of the Atlas Crater to approach the target landing site that lay within, its laser altimeter correctly reported an increased elevation of roughly 3 km, corresponding to the crater’s depth. But onboard software designed to filter out certain abrupt values to keep the ispace lander’s motion stable rejected the measurement as erroneous. The Japanese lander, thinking it was closer to the surface than it really was, continued decelerating slowly until it ran out of fuel and fell to a ruinous crash landing.

It was during the attitude hold phase that Chandrayaan-2 faltered. Its engines provided a slightly greater thrust than expected because of an inadequately functioning thrust control valve, which accumulated navigation errors over time. ISRO had designed the onboard computer to correct such “off-nominal” paths only after the attitude hold phase ended. But the deviation quickly grew to be so large that the lander couldn’t correct it in time despite its ability to throttle its thrust.

In response, ISRO ensured that Chandrayaan-3 could determine and correct such deviations from its intended trajectory far faster than its failed predecessor. Chandrayaan-3’s lander also used a new instrument called a laser doppler velocimeter (LDV) to navigate more precisely in the first place. “While there are other ways for a lunar lander to measure its velocity, an LDV provides a direct measurement of velocity with respect to the ground, which allows a lander to greatly reduce accumulation of navigation errors,” says William Coogan , lunar lander chief engineer at Firefly Aerospace, a private company that has partnered with NASA via the space agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to deliver science and technology payloads to the moon in 2024 and 2026 ,.

A Fine Hover or Two

After its fraught attitude hold phase, Chandrayaan-3 entered a three-minute “fine braking” phase in which it used only two of its four main engines to descend up to roughly 850 meters above the moon’s surface and briefly hover there. This pause gave the lander a chance to capture pictures of the surface and compare them to preloaded onboard satellite images to determine whether it was above its desired landing region.

“Chandrayaan-3’s target landing zone spans four by 2.5 kilometers. ISRO scientists and engineers divided it into 3,900 equal-sized subsections, meticulously assessed the safety level of each for a landing and loaded it into the lander as reference information,” Desai says. At this point, Chandrayaan-3 must have taken one of these two decisions: If it found itself above this predetermined landing zone, the onboard computer would have identified the safest feasible subsection area, then accordingly proceeded toward touchdown. If Chandrayaan 3 found itself elsewhere, it would have proceeded with an autonomous landing based on self-identified hazards from its imagery instead of the preprogrammed subsection-based landing. Confirmation of which decision was taken will be known after ISRO determines the landing site.

In the final “terminal descent” phase, Chandrayaan-3 lowered itself to about 150 meters above the surface and then hovered again for about half a minute to assess the area below for landing hazards. At this point, since the surface right below the lander didn’t look safe, the lander sought a safer adjacent area and deviated to touchdown there.

“The processing system for hazard avoidance was sped up for Chandrayaan-3 to make the lander’s decision-making during the critical final phases significantly faster than Chandrayaan-2,” says Rinku Agrawal of SAC, who led the team that developed the processing unit of the hazard detection and avoidance system.

“Hazard detection and avoidance allows for a critical divert maneuver if needed during the final moments to ensure a safe touchdown,” says Ander Solorzano , flight director of aerospace company Astrobotic Technology’s first moon landing mission, which will carry NASA CLPS and international payloads.

Finally, on touchdown, sensors on the lander’s legs triggered the shutdown of its main engines. Chandrayaan-3 now stands tall on the moon.

ISRO designed the lander’s legs to absorb most of the mechanical shock from the touchdown. The agency tested the legs on lunar simulant test beds on Earth to ensure that the lander could tolerate a high vertical velocity of three meters per second—and even a horizontal velocity of one meter per second if it were to touch down askew.

“The touchdown was smooth; the vertical velocity was notably less than even the nominal upper bound of 2 meters per second,” said ISRO chief S. Somanath in a post-landing press event.

Chandrayaan-3 landed near the lunar south pole shortly after local sunrise. Doing so maximizes the mission’s surface operations lifetime to an entire period of lunar daylight (14 Earth days) because the lander and the rover it will deploy are both solar-powered. To begin Chandrayaan-3’s surface science mission , Vikram will activate its four onboard instruments and deploy the rover via a ramp to start exploring the geologically rich landing region .

India’s Next Moonshot

Chandrayaan-3 feeds into the global frenzy of sending hardware to the moon, particularly to its south pole. The U.S.’s upcoming Artemis crewed missions, China’s Chang’e robotic craft and the majority of other governmental as well as private endeavors (such as those under NASA’s CLPS program) plan to explore this valuable lunar region. They eventually aim to extract its water ice and other resources to sustain long-duration missions and perhaps even to commercialize aspects of such operations.

It was thus quite the timing when, on June 21, India signed the Artemis Accords , a U.S.-led framework for cooperative lunar exploration. As a signatory, India can now accelerate its lunar endeavors by better collaborating with the U.S. and other signatory nations. Astrobotic CEO John Thornton says, “I’m encouraged by India’s signing of the accords. It’s certainly a signal for extended partnerships and co-developments between the two countries. The more we can do that as a species, the better chance we have of succeeding together.”

For its next moon mission—targeting launch before the end of this decade—India may partner with Japan, another Artemis Accords participant. The pair’s planned LUPEX rover would directly study the nature, abundance and accessibility of water ice on the moon’s south pole and could provide vital data for future crewed missions launched there as part of NASA’s Artemis program. “LUPEX requires a more precise touchdown with a much bigger lander. Chandrayaan-3’s success will act as a stepping stone toward India building LUPEX’s lander and thus playing a key role in the future exploration of our moon,” says S. Megala, deputy director of ISRO’s lunar science and exploration program.

First, however, India’s government must formally approve the nation’s involvement. (Japan has already given the green light for its own contribution.) And in the meantime, Japan will launch another lunar mission of its own: the nation’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is slated for liftoff on August 26, with a goal of lunar touchdown later this year to demonstrate new technologies for precise and affordable moon landings amid complex terrain.

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India Launches Lunar Mission With a Shot at Winning This Year’s Moon Race

Chandrayaan-3, a partial redo of a 2019 mission that ended in a crash, is the first of as many as six missions that could land on the moon in the coming months.

India Launches Moon Mission

A rocket lifted off from sriharikota, india, on july 14, carrying the chandrayaan-3 robotic lander and rover toward the moon..

“Three, two, one, zero. Plus 5 seconds.“ “Lift off normal.” “Here we have a majestic lift off of LVM3-M4 rocket carrying India’s prestigious Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. Every Indian witnessing the launch live is content with the feeling of watching history in the making.” [applause]

By Kenneth Chang and Hari Kumar

India is on its way back to the moon after a rocket lifted off from Sriharikota, a launch site off the country’s East Coast, on Friday afternoon local time.

The mission, Chandrayaan-3, is largely a do-over after the country’s first attempt at putting a robotic spacecraft on the surface of the moon nearly four years ago ended in a crash and a crater .

Chandrayaan-3 is taking place amid renewed interest in exploring the moon. The United States and China are both aiming to send astronauts there in the coming years, and a half dozen robotic missions from Russia, Japan and the United States could head there this year and next.

If the robotic lander and rover aboard Chandrayaan-3 succeed in landing intact, that will be an accomplishment that no country other than China has pulled off this century, adding to the national pride India takes in its homegrown space program. A cadre of commercial space start-ups is also popping up in India.

Last month, India reached an agreement with the United States to send a joint mission to the International Space Station next year. The Indian Space Research Organization — India’s equivalent of NASA — is also developing its own spacecraft to take astronauts to orbit.

On Friday, at 2:35 p.m. local time (5:05 a.m. Eastern time), a rocket called Launch Vehicle Mark III lifted off from the Indian space base on an island north of the metropolis of Chennai.

As crowds waving Indian flags and colorful umbrellas cheered, the rocket rose into the sky. Sixteen minutes later, the spacecraft separated from the rocket’s upper stage, and a round of cheering and clapping erupted in the mission control center.

“It is indeed a moment of glory for India,” Jitendra Singh, the minister of state for India’s Ministry of Science of Technology, said in remarks after the launch, “and a moment of destiny for all of us over here at Sriharikota who are part of the history in the making.”

Over the coming weeks, the spacecraft will perform a series of engine firings to elongate its orbit before heading toward the moon. A landing attempt is scheduled to occur on Aug. 23 or 24, timed to coincide with sunrise at the landing site in the moon’s south polar region.

Landing on the moon in one piece is difficult, and many space programs have failed.

Chandrayaan means “moon craft” in Hindi. Chandrayaan-1, an orbiter, launched in 2008, and the mission lasted less than year. The Chandrayaan-2 mission lifted off successfully on July 22, 2019, and the spacecraft successfully entered orbit around the moon.

The landing attempt on Sept. 6, 2019, appeared to be going well until the lander was about 1.3 miles above the surface, when its trajectory diverged from the planned path .

The problems arose because one of the lander’s five engines had thrust that was slightly higher than expected, S. Somanath, the chairman of the Indian space agency, said during a news conference a few days ago.

The spacecraft tried to correct, but the software specified limits on how quickly it could turn. And because of the higher thrust, the craft was still some distance from its destination even as it was approaching the ground.

“The craft is trying to reach there by increasing velocity to reach there, whereas it was not having enough time to,” Mr. Somanath said.

Months later, an amateur internet sleuth used imagery from a NASA spacecraft to locate the crash site , where the debris of the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover sit to this day.

The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter continues to travel around the moon, where its instruments are being used for scientific study. For that reason, the Chandrayaan-3 mission has a simpler propulsion module that will push a lander and a rover out of Earth’s orbit and then allow it to enter orbit around the moon.

Although the design of the lander is largely the same, changes include stronger landing legs, more propellant, additional solar cells to gather energy from the sun and improved sensors to measure the altitude.

The software was also changed so that the spacecraft could turn faster if needed, and the allowed landing area has been expanded.

If they get to the moon, the lander and the rover will use a range of instruments to make thermal, seismic and mineralogical measurements of the area.

The mission is to conclude two weeks after the landing when the sun sets on the solar-powered lander and rover. If something comes up while Chandrayaan-3 is in orbit around the moon, the landing could be delayed a month until the next sunrise, in September, so that the spacecraft can spend a full two weeks operating on the surface.

While scientists will benefit from the lunar data collected by Chandrayaan-3, India, like other countries, is also exploring the solar system for reasons of national pride.

When the country’s Mangalyaan spacecraft entered orbit around Mars in 2014, children across India were asked to arrive at school by 6:45 a.m., well before the usual starting time, to watch the event on state television.

Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, was at the mission control center in Bengaluru and hailed the Mars mission “as a shining symbol of what we are capable of as a nation.”

For the failed Chandrayaan-2 landing attempt, Mr. Modi was again at the space center, but his address afterward was more subdued. “We came very close, but we will need to cover more ground in the times to come,” he said to the scientists, engineers and staff.

Later in his address, Mr. Modi added: “As important as the final result is the journey and the effort. I can proudly say that the effort was worth it and so was the journey.” He was later seen embracing and consoling K. Sivan , then the chief of ISRO.

On Friday, the mood in the mission control room was jubilant after the spacecraft’s successful trip to orbit was confirmed. Optimism about Chandrayaan-3 also pervaded some Indian space enthusiasts who traveled to view the launch in person.

Neeraj Ladia, 35, the chief executive of Space Arcade, an astronomy equipment maker, was parked among around 100 cars viewing the launch five miles from the ISRO campus at Sriharikota.

“This time it will be a soft landing, definitely,” he said, referring to setting down on the moon in one piece. He added, “That is why the mood is very positive this time.”

Beyond Chandrayaan-3, the Indian space agency has other plans in motion. It is developing a spacecraft, Gaganyaan, for taking astronauts to orbit, but it has fallen behind its original goal of a crewed flight by 2022, and the mission is now expected no earlier than 2025.

India is increasing its collaboration with the United States for space missions. Earlier this year, the White House announced that NASA would provide training for Indian astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston “with a goal of mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024.”

India has also signed the Artemis Accords, an American framework that sets out general guidelines for civil space exploration. The accords reinforce the United States’ view that the 1967 Outer Space Treaty allows countries to use resources like minerals and ice mined on asteroids, the moon, Mars and elsewhere in the solar system.

Another collaboration is the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission, or NISAR, which will use advanced radar to precisely track changes in the Earth’s land and ice surfaces. The satellite is scheduled to launch from India in 2024. India also has ambitions for missions to study the sun and Venus.

Several moon missions could be right at India’s heels. Russia is planning to launch Luna 25 in August, the latest in a long line of robotic missions to the moon. But it has been a long time since the last one: Luna 24 took place in August 1976, before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Also scheduled to head to the moon in August is the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, from the Japanese space agency JAXA.

Three NASA-financed missions are also on the way as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program — missions put together by private companies to take NASA instruments to the moon. Intuitive Machines of Houston has scheduled its first C.L.P.S. mission for no earlier than the third quarter of this year, heading for the south polar region.

Astrobotic Technology of Pittsburgh has its lander ready but is waiting on its ride — a new rocket developed by United Launch Alliance called Vulcan, which is not yet ready to fly .

A second Intuitive Machines mission is also penciled in for the fourth quarter of this year, but that seems likely to slide into next year.

There has been one landing attempt on the moon this year, in April, by the Japanese company Ispace . But that spacecraft crashed when its navigation system became confused.

Kenneth Chang has been at The Times since 2000, writing about physics, geology, chemistry, and the planets. Before becoming a science writer, he was a graduate student whose research involved the control of chaos. More about Kenneth Chang

Hari Kumar is a reporter in the New Delhi bureau. He joined The Times in 1997. More about Hari Kumar

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Chandrayaan-3 inches closer to Moon, just 163 km away from surface

Chandrayaan-3 is now in an orbit of 153 km x 163 km around the moon. with this, the spacecraft is one step closer to making a soft landing on the lunar surface..

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Launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 14, 2023, Chandrayaan-3 has been steadily progressing towards the Moon . The spacecraft, which consists of a Propulsion Module and a Lander Module, is now preparing for a significant milestone in its journey. On August 17, 2023, the Lander Module is scheduled to separate from the Propulsion Module, marking the beginning of their separate journeys.

The Propulsion Module, a box-like structure with a large solar panel and a cylinder on top, has been responsible for carrying the Lander and Rover configuration until the spacecraft reaches a 100 km lunar orbit. After the separation, the Propulsion Module will continue its role as a communication relay satellite.

Meanwhile, the Lander Module, named Vikram, will embark on its own journey towards the lunar surface. Equipped with four landing legs and four landing thrusters of 800 newtons each, Vikram is designed for a soft landing on the Moon. It carries within it a rover named Pragyan, which will be deployed upon successful landing.

The anticipation is high as the mission inches closer to its planned landing date of August 23 , near the Moon's little-explored south pole. If successful, this mission will mark a significant achievement for the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and contribute valuable data to our understanding of the Moon.

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‘15 minutes of terror’: What should happen in the final minutes of Chandrayaan-3 lander’s descent on the Moon

The chandrayaan-3’s lander module’s final deboosting operation has reduced its orbit to 25x134 km around the moon, isro said on sunday. the powered descent will begin on august 23, 5:45 pm, in four broad phases: rough braking phase; attitude hold phase; fine braking phase; terminal descent phase..

The critical technical manoeuvre that the Chandrayaan-3 lander will have to perform on August 23 when it enters the final 15 minutes of its attempt to make a soft landing on the Moon will be to transfer its high-speed horizontal position to a vertical one — in order to facilitate a gentle descent on to the surface.

These final 15 minutes on Wednesday evening will determine the success of the mission. In July 2019, after the Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO ) aborted the first attempt to launch the Chandrayaan -2 mission, K Sivan, then chairman of India’s space research body, had described this phase as “15 minutes of terror”.

Dr Sivan’s description captured the essence of the complexity of the mission’s final phase — the one in which Chandrayaan-2 failed after the Vikram lander did not switch appropriately from the horizontal to the vertical position, and hurtled on to the surface of the Moon when it was entering the “fine braking phase” 7.42 km from the lunar surface.

The final deboosting of the Chandrayaan-3 lander was completed on Sunday to reduce its orbit to 25X134 km around the Moon.

Rough Braking Phase

The other critical part of the landing is the process, which will take place simultaneously, of reducing the lander’s horizontal velocity from a range of 1.68 km/sec (more than 6,000 km/h) at a height of 30 km from the lunar surface to almost zero for a soft landing at the designated site about 70 degrees South latitude. The landing is scheduled around 6.04 pm India time on August 23, ISRO has said.

“Chandrayaan-3 is tilted almost 90 degrees at this time (when the landing process begins at 5.47 pm on August 23) but it needs to be vertical (for a landing). This process of turning the lander…is a very interesting calculation mathematically. We have done a lot of simulations. This is where we had a problem the last time (which led to the crash of Chandrayaan-2 on September 7, 2019),” ISRO Chairman S Somanath said on August 9.

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“The transfer from the horizontal position to the vertical position…is the trick that we have to play over here. We have to ensure that the fuel consumed is less, the distance calculation is correct and all the algorithms are working properly,” Dr Somanath said.

The 2019 disappointment

The landing in 2019 was seemingly on track until around 3 minutes before the final “terminal descent phase”, when the lander ended up spinning more than 410 degrees, and deviated from its calibrated spin of 55 degrees to crash on the Moon.

The speed and direction of the lander is controlled by 12 onboard engines. “The lander’s four engines are used to reduce the velocity and there are also eight small engines to control the direction of the descent. The engines are throttleable and the thrust can be varied from 800 Newton to a lower value. It can keep the lander hovering on the Moon’s gravity,” Dr Somanath said.

The horizontal velocity of 1.68 km/sec at the beginning of the landing process (vertical velocity is zero at this stage) has to be first reduced to 358 m/sec (about 1,290 km/h) horizontal velocity and 61 m/sec (about 220 km/h) vertical velocity in the ideal “rough braking phase” of 690 seconds, during which the lander will descend from an altitude of 30 km to 7.42 km. During this time, the lander will travel a distance of 713.5 km across the surface of the Moon towards the landing site.

At a height of 7.42 km from the surface, the lander will go into an “attitude hold phase” lasting around 10 seconds, during which it will tilt from a horizontal to a vertical position while covering a distance of 3.48 km. The altitude will be reduced to 6.8 km, and velocity to 336 m/sec (horizontal) and 59 m/sec (vertical).

The third phase of the landing process, the “fine braking phase”, will last around 175 seconds, during which the lander will move fully into a vertical position. It will traverse the final 28.52 km to the landing site, the altitude will come down to 800-1,000 m, and it will reach a nominal speed of 0 m/sec.

“From 30 km to 7.42 km (altitude) will be rough braking and at 7.42 km there will be an attitude hold phase where some of the instruments will carry out calculations; at 800 or 1,300 metres (altitude) it will start doing a verification of the sensors, at 150 metres (altitude) it will do a hazard verification and decide whether it should land vertically there itself or move laterally to a maximum extent of 150 metres to avoid any boulders or craters,” Dr Somanath said.

Four phases of the Chandrayaan-3’s descent It was between the “attitude hold phase” and the “fine braking phase” — before the Chandrayaan-2 lander could enter the final “terminal descent phase” — that it lost control and crashed. ISRO has used studies of the failure to improve the landing chances of Chandrayaan-3 to a higher degree. * In Chandrayaan-2 a first-order automated guidance system was used in the first rough braking phase; in Chandrayaan-3 a second-order guidance system is being used. In Chandrayaan 3 an instantaneous thrust regulation is also used in the rough braking phase. Advertisement * In Chandrayaan-3, the thrust demand is at a higher level of 740X4 N during the second attitude hold phase instead of the 400×4 N in Chandrayaan 2 to ensure thrust continuity at the start of the second phase of landing. The new systems will facilitate thrust and angle continuity for the lander as it manoeuvres from a horizontal to a vertical position. Explained | New in Chandrayaan-3: key upgrades that bring hope and confidence “Extensive simulations have been done, the guidance designs have been changed, a lot of the algorithms have been put together to ensure that the required dispersions are obtained in all these phases. Even if there are variations in the nominal numbers still the lander will make an attempt at a vertical landing,” Dr Somanath said. “If all sensors fail, if everything fails, it will still make a landing provided the propulsion system works well. This is how it has been designed. Even if two of the engines do not work, this time the lander will be able to land. It has been designed in such a way that it should be able to handle multiple failures. If the algorithms work well we should be able to do a vertical landing,” he said. Slower, lower, closer The lander can touch down at a maximum speed of 3 m/sec (10.8 km/h) without endangering the instruments on board, but the optimal speed is around 2 m/sec (7.2 km/hr). The lander can also have a tilt up to 12 degrees and still land safely. Advertisement “Although 3 m/sec looks like a low speed, if a human falls at that speed all our bones will be crushed. [But] it is a speed we can guarantee with our sensors and measurements. Attempting to land at ultra low speed also requires a lot of fuel, and theoretically, there has to be some velocity to touch down and this has been identified as 1 m/sec. System is however built to handle velocity of up to 3 m/sec,” the ISRO chief said. Dr Somanath had said recently that the landing speed threshold, which was originally 2m/sec (7.2 km/hr) with a small margin of increase, had been increased subsequently. “We have created energy absorbing capability,” he had said. Once the lander settles on the Moon, it will release a rover on board to take pictures of the lunar surface and conduct experiments with two onboard instruments. In 2019, the anomaly that occurred during the second of the four phases, was reflected in the computer systems at Mission Control, but scientists could not intervene because the lander was in an autonomous mode, using data fed into its system before the start of the powered descent. ISRO is now confident that the errors have been corrected for the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

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Complete Timeline of Chandrayaan 3 Mission: Key Milestones and Journey So Far Explained

Curated By : Majid Alam

Last Updated: August 23, 2023, 08:15 IST

New Delhi, India

Chandrayaan-3 was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on July 14. (Representational image: Shutterstock)

If the Chandrayaan-3 succeeds in making a touchdown on moon and landing a robotic lunar rover, India will become the fourth country to master soft-landing on the lunar surface

Chandrayaan-3 is all set for a successful landing on the south polar region of the Moon on Wednesday at 6:04 pm after completing its 40-day journey. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that Chandrayaan-3 mission is on schedule.

If the Chandrayaan-3 mission succeeds in making a touchdown on the moon and in landing a robotic lunar rover, India will become the fourth country to master the technology of soft-landing on the lunar surface after the US, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union.

History of Chandrayaan Missions

The Chandrayaan mission, also known as the Indian lunar exploration programme, involves a series of space missions conducted by ISRO. The first mission, Chandrayaan-1, was launched in 2008 and successfully entered lunar orbit.

Chandrayaan-2 had failed in its lunar phase when its lander ‘Vikram’ crashed into the surface of the Moon following anomalies in the braking system in the lander while attempting a touch down on September 7, 2019.

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 and its objectives are to demonstrate safe and soft-landing on the lunar surface, roving on the Moon, and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

The Rs 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 onboard Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket, for a 41-day voyage to reach near the lunar south pole.

First Look of Chandrayaan-3

ISRO had showed the first glimpse of the third moon mission Chandrayaan-3 in April last year. Chandrayaan-3 was earlier scheduled to be launched in 2020, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learning from its past instance, ISRO has implemented several improvements in Chandrayaan-3 in order to ensure success this time.

All About Chandrayaan 3

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is the third lunar exploration mission planned by ISRO following the failed Chandrayaan-2 mission. The mission serves as a continuation of the Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019 and aims to showcase the complete capability of safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3 consists of three parts: a Lander module (LM), Propulsion module (PM) and a Rover. The Lander has the capability to soft land at a specified lunar site and deploy the Rover which will carry out the research on the lunar surface.

The Lander and the Rover have scientific payloads to carry out experiments on the lunar surface. The main function of Propulsion module is to carry the Lander module from launch vehicle injection till final lunar 100 km circular polar orbit.

Chandrayaan-3’ Launch and ISRO’s Optimism

Chandrayaan-3 took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh from the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV-MK III) heavy-lift rocket on July 14, 2023.

The mission would help boost the government’s plan to spur investment in private space launches and related satellite-based businesses.

The significance of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is that the Propulsion Module has a payload- SHAPE or Spectro- polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth to study Earth from lunar orbit, according to PTI.

Chandrayaan 3 Milestones

After the launch on July 14 , Chandrayaan-3 conducted a series of orbit-raising manoeuvres to gradually move the spacecraft into higher and higher orbits before beginning to move directly towards the moon. The earth-bound manoeuvres went on till July 31 after which the craft moved into translunar orbit.

Chandrayaan-3 performed the Trans Lunar Injection (TLI), a propulsive manoeuvre to slingshot the spacecraft towards the Moon from Earth’s orbit on August 1. The propulsive manoeuvre sent the lunar craft on a trajectory towards the Moon.

Chandrayaan-3 entered into the lunar orbit on August 5, following which orbit reduction manoeuvres were carried out on the satellite on August 6, 9, 14 and 16.

On August 16, ISRO successfully carried out the fifth and final orbit reduction manoeuvre.

Vikram Lander Separation and Beyond

Chandrayaan-3 Lander Module (LM), comprising the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover , successfully separated from the Propulsion Module on August 17.

After separation, the lander underwent a “deboost” (the process of slowing down) to place it in an orbit where the Perilune, the closest point to the Moon, is 30 kilometres and Apolune, the farthest point from the Moon, is 100 km.

After the second and final deboosting operation on August 20, the Landing Module is placed in a 25 km x 134 km orbit around the Moon. Finally, the touchdown of the Lander will be attempted on August 23 at 6:04 pm.

Chandrayaan 3 Engine

Chandrayaan-3 engine has been manufactured by Godrej Aerospace which is tucked away in a green zone along the Eastern Express Highway in the suburbs of Vikhroli. The plant has been one of the largest private manufacturers and suppliers for ISRO since 1985. Godrej Aerospace also had key contributions to Chandrayaan-1 and 2 and Mangalyaan space missions, besides participating in ISRO’s other endeavours.

Cost of Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3, with an estimated budget of Rs 615 crore , is said to be one of the most cost-effective space missions as compared to its predecessors.

Meanwhile, Chandrayaan-2, launched on July 22, 2019, was manufactured at a cost of Rs 978 crore, including Rs 603 crore for the orbiter, lander, rover, navigation and ground support network and Rs 375 crore for the heavy GSLV rocket with indigenous cryogenic engine.

Landing and Beyond

Chandrayaan-3 Lander Module will make a touchdown on the surface of the Moon at 6:04 pm on Wednesday. With less than 30 hours to go for the landing, the Lander Module of the lunar craft is trying to locate a spot for perfect landing on the Moon’s surface, which will lead to a historic landing.

The lunar mission is aimed at the southern polar region of the Moon, a region with water ice or frozen water, that could be a source of oxygen, fuel and water for future moon missions or a more permanent moon colony.

After landing successfully, the Chandrayaan-3 is expected to remain functional for two weeks, running a series of experiments including a spectrometer analysis of the mineral composition of the lunar surface.

Shortly after the touchdown, one side panel of the Vikram lander will unfold, creating a ramp for the Pragyan rover. The six-wheeled Pragyan with a national flag and ISRO logo will descend from the landed on the lunar surface after four hours and move at a speed of 1 cm per second. The payloads attached to the Lander and rover will carry out several study and send back data about the lunar surface, the processes of lunar body and its formation.

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Chandrayaan-3's Moon landing in 3 days: ISRO's Vikram lander's journey so far

Chandrayaan-3, india's third lunar mission, is all set to make its landing on the moon in nearly three days..

Chandrayaan-3, India's third lunar mission, is all set to make its first soft-landing attempt on the Moon in three days. On Sunday morning, the second and final deboosting operation of the mission was carried out successfully, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) informed. Post this, the module will be undergoing internal checks, and the powered descent is expected to start on August 23.

Also read: Chandrayaan-3 awaits sunrise at designated Moon site. When will it land?

“The second and final deboosting operation has successfully reduced the LM orbit to 25 km x 134 km. The module would undergo internal checks and await the sun-rise at the designated landing site. The powered descent is expected to commence on August 23, 2023, around 1745 Hrs. IST,” the ISRO wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Chandrayaan-3's journey so far:

July 6 : The ISRO declared Chandrayaan-3 mission would launch on July 14 from Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota's second launch pad.

July 7 : All vehicle electrical tests were completed successfully.

July 11 : A 24-hour ‘Launch Rehearsal’ was done successfully.

July 14 : ISRO's LVM3 M4 launched Chandrayaan-3 into its intended orbit.

July 15 : The mission's first orbit-raising manoeuvre succeeded in Bengaluru. The spacecraft reached an orbit of 41762 km x 173 km.

July 17 : The second orbit-raising manoeuvre put Chandrayaan-3 in an orbit of 41603 km x 226 km.

July 22 : The fourth orbit-raising manoeuvre, Earth-bound perigee firing, successfully placed the spacecraft in a 71351 km x 233 km orbit.

July 25 : Another orbit-raising manoeuvre was carried out successfully.

August 1 : In a significant milestone, Chandrayaan-3 entered the translunar orbit with an orbit of 288 km x 369328 km.

August 5 : The spacecraft entered the lunar orbit at 164 km x 18074 km.

August 6 : The spacecraft's orbit was lowered to 170 km x 4,313 km around the Moon.

August 9 : Another manoeuver was performed that lowered the spacecraft to 174 km x 1437 km.

August 14 : The mission entered the orbit circularisation phase of 151 km x 179 km orbit.

August 16 : The spacecraft entered the orbit of 153 km x 163 km after the firing.

August 17 : The landing module, comprising the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover was separated from its propulsion system.

August 18 : The spacecraft successfully completed a 'deboosting' operation that reduced its orbit to 113 km x 157 km. Deboosting is the process of slowing down to position itself in an orbit where the orbit's closest point to the Moon (Perilune) is 30 km and the farthest point (the Apolune) is 100 km.

August 20 : Chandrayaan-3 performed the second and final deboosting operation and reduced the LM orbit to 25 km x 134 km.

August 23 : If everything goes well and as planned, the spacecraft will land on the lunar surface.

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Chandrayaan-3: A timeline and all the milestones

Chandrayaan-3 launched

On July 14, Chandrayaan-3 mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota, and went on its way to script history. (Image: ISRO)

Orbit-raising maneuvers

On July 15, ISRO successfully performed the first orbit-raising manoeuvre of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on July 15, 2023. Subsequently, there were four more such orbit-raising manoeuvres on July 17, 18 and 25. Chandrayaan-3, completed its fifth and final Earth-bound orbit-raising manoeuvre on July 25, marking a crucial phase of the spacecraft's lunar trajectory. (Image: ISRO)

Completion of Earth orbits

Chandrayaan-3 completed its orbits around the Earth and is now heading towards the Moon.A key manoeuvre to slingshot the spacecraft towards the Moon from Earth's orbit was carried out in the early hours of August 1. (Image: ISRO)

Lunar orbit insertion

On August 5, Chandrayaan-3 was successfully inserted into the lunar orbit. "Chandrayaan-3 has been successfully inserted into the lunar orbit. A retro-burning at the Perilune was commanded from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX), ISTRAC (ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network), Bengaluru," ISRO said in a tweet. (Image: ISRO)

Orbit-reduction maneuvers

India's Moon Mission completed two successful orbit reduction maneuvers around the moon on August 6 and August 9. During the second orbit reduction, the retrofiring of engines brought the spacecraft closer to the Moon's surface, to 174 km x 1437 km. (Image: ISRO)

Orbit circulation phase

The orbit circulation phase commenced on August 14 as ISRO completed another successful maneuver of the spacecraft. "Orbit circularisation phase commences. Precise maneuver performed today has achieved a near-circular orbit of 150 km x 177 km," ISRO said in a tweet. Today’s successful firing, needed for a short duration, has put Chandrayaan-3 into an orbit of 153 km x 163 km, as intended. With this, the lunar bound manoeuvres are completed,” ISRO said on August 16. (Image: ISRO)

Lander module separates

Lander Module of Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft comprising the lander and rover has successfully separated from the Propulsion Module, ISRO said on August 17. "Thanks for the ride, mate! said the Lander Module (LM). LM is successfully separated from the Propulsion Module (PM). LM is set to descend to a slightly lower orbit upon a deboosting planned for tomorrow around 1600 Hrs., IST," ISRO said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). (Image: ISRO)

Vikram's deboosting

Following this, the Vikram lander module underwent two succesful deboostings on August 18 and 20. “The second and final deboosting operation has successfully reduced the LM orbit to 25 km x 134 km. The module would undergo internal checks and await the sun-rise at the designated landing site. The powered descent is expected to commence on August 23, 2023, around 1745 Hrs. IST,” ISRO said on X. (Image: ISRO)

Communication established

ISRO on August 21 said a two-way communication between the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and Chandrayaan-3's Lunar Module has been established. "'Welcome, buddy!' Ch-2 orbiter formally welcomed Ch-3 LM. Two-way communication between the two is established. MOX has now more routes to reach the LM," it tweeted. (Image: ISRO)

All set for Automatic Landing Sequence

Hours before landing, ISRO said it is all set to initiate the Automatic Landing Sequence (ALS) for Chandrayaan-3's Lander Module (LM) to touch down on the lunar surface. (Image: ISRO)

At 6:04 pm on August 23, after 41 days and the '15 minutes of terror' Chandrayaan-3 created history - as did India. The Vikram lander module landed successfully on the lunar surface, making India the first country to land on the lunar south pole, a land of mysteries that are waiting to be deciphered. Taking to Twitter, ISRO wrote, "'India, I reached my destination and you too!' :Chandrayaan-3... Chandrayaan-3 has successfully soft-landed on the moon 🌖! Congratulations, India!"

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Chandrayaan-3 just few km away from Moon’s surface; see the latest images

As india’s ambitious lunar mission, chandrayaan-3 begins its final phase, the indian space research organisation (isro) has released the latest….

Statesman News Service | New Delhi | August 18, 2023 6:17 pm

Image Source: ISRO

As India’s ambitious lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3 begins its final phase, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released the latest images of the Moon. The pictures were taken on Thursday by Chandrayaan 3’s lander Vikram soon after its separation from the Propulsion Module.

Vikram lander will attempt a soft landing near the less explored south pole region of the Moon on August 23. If successful, India will be only the fourth country in the world to land on the lunar surface and probably the first on the south pole of the Moon. Russia’s Moon mission Luna 25 is also en route to the Moon and will attempt landing near the south pole between August 21 and 23.

Earlier on Thursday, the Lander Module entered the final phase of its Moon mission and separated from the Propulsion Module which carried it to lunar orbit. The latest images shared by the Vikram lander show high-definition close-up shots of the Moon. The latest images show a few lunar impact craters, including Fabry, Giordano Bruno, and Harkhebi J. In one of the images, the Earth is also visible.

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Chandrayaan-3 Mission: View from the Lander Imager (LI) Camera-1 on August 17, 2023 just after the separation of the Lander Module from the Propulsion Modul

Chandrayaan -3 Vikram lander begins its descent to the lower orbit

Chandrayaan-3 Mission: View from the Lander Imager (LI) Camera-1 on August 17, 2023 just after the separation of the Lander Module from the Propulsion Module #Chandrayaan_3 #Ch3 pic.twitter.com/abPIyEn1Ad — ISRO (@isro) August 18, 2023

Earlier in the day, the ISRO released the latest update about the health and progress of the Chandrayaan 3 mission. The Indian Space Research Organisation said that the health of Vikram Lander is normal and it successfully underwent its first de-boosting operation, which reduced its orbit to just 113 km x 157 km.

“The Lander Module (LM) health is normal. LM successfully underwent a de-boosting operation that reduced its orbit to 113 km x 157 km. The second de-boosting operation is scheduled for August 20, 2023, around 0200 Hrs,” Isro said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Chandrayaan 3’s Vikram Lander, which is carrying a rover inside it, will attempt a soft landing on the south pole region of the Moon on August 23. According to the ISRO, the mission objectives of Chandrayaan 3 are to “demonstrate safe and soft landing on the lunar surface” and conduct in-situ scientific experiments on the Moon.

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