Chandrayaan-3, the third lunar exploration mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), aims to demonstrate soft landing on the Moon, similar to its predecessor, Chandrayaan-2. Chandrayaan 3 successfully soft landed on Moon on 23rd August 2023 at 18:02 IST. Unlike Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3 does not include an orbiter. The launch of Chandrayaan-3 took place on July 14, 2023, with successful lunar injection. The lander and rover are expected to land near the lunar south pole region on August 23, 2023. The mission has three main objectives: achieving a safe landing, observing the rover's capabilities, and conducting scientific experiments to better understand the Moon's composition.
The Chandrayaan programme initially launched Chandrayaan-2 with an orbiter, lander, and rover to demonstrate soft landing on the Moon. However, the lander, Vikram, crashed on the lunar surface due to a last-minute glitch in the landing guidance software. This failure led to the proposal of Chandrayaan-3 to demonstrate the necessary landing capabilities for future Lunar Polar Exploration Missions.
Chandrayaan-3 consists of three main components: the propulsion module, the lander, and the rover. The propulsion module carries the lander and rover configuration until the spacecraft reaches a 100 km lunar orbit. The lander is responsible for the soft landing and carries scientific instruments for in-site analysis, including Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE), Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA), and Langmuir Probe (LP). The six-wheeled rover is equipped with various scientific instruments and is expected to study the lunar surface's composition, presence of water ice, history of lunar impacts, and the Moon's atmosphere.
The launch of Chandrayaan-3 occurred on July 14, 2023, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. The spacecraft has been placed on the trajectory to reach the Moon, and it is expected to achieve a soft landing on the lunar South Pole region on August 23 or 24, 2023.
ISRO has set the estimated cost for the Chandrayaan-3 mission at around ₹615 crore (approximately $90 million in 2023). The project has received initial funding of ₹75 crore (approximately $9.4 million) for machinery, equipment, and other capital expenditures.
Chandrayaan-3 represents India's continued efforts in lunar exploration and aims to build on the achievements of previous missions while demonstrating advancements in soft landing and scientific exploration capabilities on the Moon.
Overall, Chandrayaan-3 is a crucial step in India's space exploration journey, emphasizing the country's commitment to space science and technology. The mission's successful execution will contribute significantly to our understanding of the Moon's surface and pave the way for future interplanetary missions.
Here is the compelte view and commentry on the launch of Chandrayaan-3 from ISRO.
