India’s first lunar probe, named Chandrayaan-1, was launched by ISRO in 2008. It ran from 1966 to 2009, during which time it found water molecules on the lunar surface. It helped us learn a lot more about the moon.
In 2019, India successfully launched Chandrayaan-2, which included an orbiter, a lander (named Vikram), and a rover (named Pragyan). The landing of Vikram was unsuccessful, but the orbiter is still investigating the Moon. The goals of both missions were to increase India’s space prowess and knowledge of lunar exploration.
ISRO’s third attempt at landing a spacecraft on the moon has just been updated. On Wednesday, Isro’s third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, successfully soft-landed on the Moon. India became just the fourth country to successfully land a rover on the Moon’s surface and the first to do it at or near the South Pole.
Successful landing of CHANDRAYAAN 3
The successful landing of India’s Chandrayaan-3 moon mission has elicited resounding cheers from scientists all across the world. It is not only an important step in India’s space exploration, but also a demonstration of the country’s everlasting dedication to expanding human potential.
India’s rising scientific and technological prominence and capabilities are underlined by this mission’s successful soft landing on the Moon’s polar zone. The accomplishment was a source of national pride and calls on the Indian scientific community to take the lead in the emerging and inevitable global quest for moon-based scientific and technological enterprise in the coming decades.
Summary of Chandrayaan 3’s Mission
Like the Chandrayaan-2 project, Chandrayaan 3 has a lander and rover. These are called Vikram and Pragyan, respectively. Lander and rover were sent into lunar orbit by the propulsion module for a powered landing.
On July 14, 2023, Chandrayaan-3 was successfully launched. When the lander and rover touched down on the lunar south pole area on August 23, 2023, at 18:02 IST, India became the fourth nation to soft-land on the Moon and the first to land a spacecraft near the lunar south pole.
Know More About Chandrayaan-3 are as follows:
The three primary parts of Chandrayaan-3 are as follows:
Engine control unit
The lander and rover unit go to a lunar orbit of 100 kilometres (62 miles) in the propulsion module. It has a big solar panel attached to one side and a cylindrical mounting device for the lander (the Intermodular Adapter Cone) attached to the top, making it seem like a box.
Lander
The gentle landing on the Moon was made possible by the Vikram lander. It has a square form factor and is equipped with four landing legs and four landing thrusters. It transports the rover as well as a variety of scientific gear for use in field research.
Rover
Multiple measurements will be taken by the rover to help scientists learn more about the Moon’s composition, whether or not water ice exists in the lunar soil, the history of lunar impacts, and the development of the Moon’s atmosphere.
Scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plan to conduct a series of tests over the course of 14 days to determine the makeup of lunar soil and rocks once the rover is deployed by the Chandrayaan 3 near the lunar south pole. It is hypothesised that there are ice deposits and minerals at the moon’s south pole.
Quantitative and qualitative elemental analysis will be performed by the rover payloads. Understanding the lunar surface will be advanced by their derivation of its chemical composition and inference of its mineralogical makeup.
Studying the Moon
The thermal characteristics of the lunar surface close to the polar zone will be measured by Chandra’s Surface Thermo Physical Experiment (ChaSTE).
The seismic activity at the landing site will be measured by the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA), which will also help map out the composition of the lunar crust and mantle.
To learn about the lunar system’s dynamics, scientists want to use a passive experiment called a LASER retroreflector array.
Lander payload Radio Anatomy of the Moon’s Hypersensitive Ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA) will monitor variations in plasma density close to the surface over time.
Conclusion
Russian spacecraft Luna 25 crashed onto the moon after spinning out of control, while Chandrayaan 3’s gentle landing came days later.
The Chandrayaan 3 mission is equipped with the ‘Vikram’ lander and a six-wheeled rover that are meant to last for the duration of one lunar day. India is celebrating after the Chandrayaan 3 mission’s Vikram lander safely landed on the moon’s south pole. India’s third lunar mission has a challenging undertaking, though.
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