Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. It consists of Lander and Rover configuration. It will be launched by LVM3 from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota. The propulsion module will carry the lander and rover configuration till 100 km lunar orbit. The propulsion module has Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the spectral and Polari metric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit.

Lander payloads: Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) to measure the thermal conductivity and temperature; Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) for measuring the seismicity around the landing site; Langmuir Probe (LP) to estimate the plasma density and its variations. A passive Laser Retroreflector Array from NASA is accommodated for lunar laser ranging studies.

Rover payloads: Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) for deriving the elemental composition in the vicinity of landing site.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14, 2023, and landed on the moon on August 23, 2023 at 6.04PM making India the first country to land on the South Pole of Moon and the 4th Country to Land on Moon.

Landing Process of Chandrayaan-3

The Chandrayaan-3 lander used a four-stage landing process to soft-land on the moon's surface:

->Rough braking phase: The phase began at an altitude of 30 kilometers above the lunar surface. The lander used its main engines to slow down from a velocity of 1.68 kilometers per second to 1.2 kilometers per second.

-> Attitude hold phase: At an altitude of 7.4 kilometers, the lander tilted from a horizontal to a vertical position.

-> Fine braking phase: This phase began at an altitude of 2.8 kilometers. The lander used its thrusters to slow down to a velocity of 0.2 meters per second.

->Terminal descent phase: This phase began at an altitude of 150 meters. The lander used its radar to measure its distance to the surface and adjust its velocity accordingly. It then touched down the lunar surface.

The entire landing process took about 15 minutes.

Scientific Objectives of Chandrayaan-3

The Chandrayaan-3 mission will conduct a variety of scientific experiments, including:

1. Studying the composition of the lunar surface, including the presence of water ice.

2. Studying the lunar exosphere and atmosphere.

3. Studying the seismicity of the moon.

4. Studying the thermal properties of the moon.

5. Studying the history of the moon's formation and evolution.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission is a critical step in India's journey to become a leading spacefaring nation. The success of this mission will pave the way for future missions to the moon and inspire future space exploration missions by ISRO including the Gaganyaan Mission which is a Manned Mission.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission has been a story of perseverance and cost-efficient engineering of the Scientists at ISRO. Never had one thought that India would be celebrating a scientific activity like Chandrayaan 3 Landing like the Cricket World Cup final match and the scientists would be made into celebrities. This shows the growth of Scientific Temper in India and ignites the hope for greater scientific future for the nation.

Through Chandrayaan-3 project the world has now seen what Independent Bharatiya minds can do. JAI HIND!!!

If you liked the blog please do LIKE and Share with your friends.

Chandrayaan-3: Scripting History on Moon

The Chandrayaan-3 mission is the third lunar mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)