India's Chandrayaan 3 project was designed to land a spacecraft on the moon's surface, a feat that has only been accomplished by China, the United States, and Russia. A month after launch, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft will enter lunar orbit. The lander, Vikram, and the rover, Pragyaan, are expected to land on the moon on August 23.
From Sriharikota's Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Chandrayaan-3 was sent into orbit by the LVM3 rocket. The lander and rover combination will travel into orbit and be propelled to a 100-kilometer lunar orbit once there. The lander will then separate from the propulsion module and attempt a soft landing on the lunar surface.
The propulsion module also carries the Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload, which will analyse the light from Earth to study its spectral and polarimetric properties.
Chandrayaan-3 will perform scientific experiments to learn more about the moon's environment, including its history, geology, and potential for resources, in addition to its primary objective of landing a spacecraft there.
Chandrayaan-3 is carrying six payloads to study the lunar soil and capture photographs of Earth from lunar orbit. During its 14-day mission (one Lunar day) upon landing, Chandrayaan-3 will conduct a series of groundbreaking experiments using its payloads RAMBHA and ILSA. These experiments will study the moon's atmosphere and dig into the surface to better understand its mineral composition.
The moon rover Pragyaan, which will deploy its instruments to measure seismic activity there, will be photographed by the lander Vikram. Pragyaan will use its laser beams to melt a piece of the lunar surface, called regolith, and analyse the gases emitted in the process. India will gain access to a lot of information on the lunar surface as well as its potential for future human habitation through this mission.
Chandrayaan-3 a new chapter in India’s space odyssey: Modi
Tweeting from France after the successful liftoff of Isro’s ‘Bahubali’ rocket LVM-3 carrying the spacecraft, Modi said, “It soars high, elevating the dreams and ambitions of every Indian. This momentous achievement is a testament to our scientists’ relentless dedication. I salute their spirit and ingenuity!”
People behind Chandrayaan-3 mission
The mission has been a culmination of years of research and development by hundreds of scientists working around the clock.
The ambitious trip to the moon was conceptualised by Isro chief S Somnath. He has also been credited with expediting a number of other missions, including the crewed Gaganyaan expedition and the solar mission Aditya-L1.
M Sankaran was appointed director of the U R Rao Satellite Centre in June 2021, which serves as India's primary facility for the design, production, and construction of all Isro satellites. A Rajarajan is a distinguished scientist and currently the director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota, principal SpacePort of India.
P Veeramuthuvel took charge as Chandrayaan-3 project director in 2019. Before his current assignment, he served as a deputy director in the Space Infrastructure Programme Office at the Isro headquarters. The mission director for LVM3-M4/Chandrayaan 3 is S Mohana Kumar, a senior scientist from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. He earlier served as the director for the successful commercial launch of the One Web India 2 satellites on board the LVM3-M3 mission.
A total of 54 female engineers and scientists have personally contributed to the mission. They serve as "assistant and deputy project directors and project managers of various systems," according to an Isro official.