Chandrayaan-3 lander separated from propulsion module, final trek to Moon begins

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Aug 17, 2023: In a significant development in India’s lunar exploration, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) successfully separated the Vikram lander from the propulsion module of the Chandrayaan-3 mission today at 1 pm.

The spacecraft is now one step closer to making a soft landing on the lunar surface.

 

Named after the founder of the Indian space programme, Vikram Sarabhai, the lander carries the Pragyan rover. The separation of the lander from the propulsion module marks a crucial milestone in the mission.

Following this, the lander will be put into a closer orbit around the Moon.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission is currently in an orbit of 153 km x 163 km around the Moon. The next major event will be the selection of the landing site.

Isro has expanded the landing area and chosen a spot with a 4 km x 2.4 km area, instead of 500 square meters during Chandrayaan-2. This decision was made to provide more flexibility for the landing attempt.

The south-polar region of the Moon, despite its challenging terrain, is a highly valued target for scientists due to the potential presence of substantial amounts of ice. This could be useful for extracting fuel, oxygen, and even drinking water.

The Vikram lander and Pragyan rover are expected to land on the lunar surface on August 23.

However, they face competition from Russia’s Luna-25 mission, which was launched weeks after Chandrayaan-3 but could land on the Moon two days earlier. Despite the close timelines, both missions have different landing areas planned, ensuring no interference or collision risk.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission aims to demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface and execute in-situ scientific experiments.

This mission follows the Chandrayaan-2 mission, which faced a setback in September 2019 when the Vikram lander deviated from its intended path during the landing attempt, resulting in a loss of communication.

Lessons learned from that mission have been incorporated into Chandrayaan-3, including refining algorithms and software to mitigate software glitches.

As the world watches, the race to the uncharted south pole of the Moon is heating up, with both India’s Chandrayaan-3 and Russia’s Luna-25 gearing up for lunar landings next week.

Courtesy: India Today