Chandrayaan-3 successfully off to a six week jouney! India to write history once again!
India's third lunar mission was scheduled to launch at 14:35 IST 14th July, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota is successfully and swiftly executed. The spacecraft was launched on a GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle. LVM3 along with the Lander Module (LM), Propulsion module (PM) and a Rover successfully carries them to the sky and beyond. LVM3's third launch in one year.
The mission objectives of Chandrayaan-3 are:
- To demonstrate Safe and Soft Landing on Lunar Surface
- To demonstrate Rover roving on the moon and
- To conduct in-situ scientific experiments.
As the successful launch commenced at scheduled 14:35 IST, LVM3 successfully injects Chandrayaan 3 into the desired orbit by 14:52 IST and by 14:54 IST Chandrayaan 3 had successfully seperated from rocket stage.
Chandrayaan-3 is set to complete five orbit manoeuvres each time shooting further away from earth's orbit. Similarly, Chandrayaan 3 has to complete four orbit manoeuvres of Moon to achive a soft landing on the lunar surface. Covering a distance of over 300,000 km, it aims to reach the Moon in 40 weeks. Scientific instruments onboard will study the Moon's surface and conduct in-situ experiments. Chandrayaan-3 is equipped with a lander, a rover and a propulsion module weighing around 3,900 kilograms. Expected landing is on August 22-23, subject to changes depending on beneficial conditions. If necessary, ISRO will reschedule the landing for September. Upon landing, the rover will operate for one lunar day, equivalent to 14 Earth days.
Chandrayaan 3 all set to make a difference from its predecessor Chandrayaan 2 whose rover unfortunately lost communication in it's last moment of landing but it's orbiter still actively working and sending valuable information. Chandrayaan 3 made severe changes with equipments to result an end to end capability of a safer lunar landing even in one of the most challenging terrain of the satelite, the South pole, where no one has successfully set their foot yet.
If successfully executed a soft landing on lunar surface, India will enter the elite group to be the fourth nation to successfully soft land on Moon and the FIRST to soft land on it's South pole. This mission becoming a very important geopolitical situation, it's success could attract investments and boost the industry.
