New Delhi:
India’s Chandrayaan-3 will attempt to land on the moon’s south pole today. Success for the moon mission will make India the fourth country to master the technology of soft landing on the lunar surface after the US, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union.
According to experts, the final 15 to 20 minutes will determine the success of the mission when Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander with rover Pragyan will make its soft landing.
The live telecast of the event will be available on the ISRO website, its YouTube channel, Facebook, and public broadcaster DD National TV from 5:27 PM.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
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- The mission will also demonstrate new technology for interplanetary missions.
- Chandrayaan-3 lander Vikram is carrying a rover named ‘Pragyaan’ which will analyse the chemical makeup of the moon’s surface and search for water
- Pragyaan will use its laser beams to melt a piece of the lunar surface, called regolith, and analyse the gases emitted in the process.
- Through this mission, India will not only access a wealth of knowledge about the lunar surface but also its potential for human habitation in the future.
On the day of landing, the twenty minutes of terror or T-20 kick in for a nail-biting finish.
- On commands from Bengaluru, the Vikram lander will begin its descent towards the moon surface from an altitude of 25 km.
- In a powered descent, the Vikram lander will start hurtling towards the moon surface at a velocity of 1.68 km per second which is nearly 6048 km per hour -which is almost ten times the velocity of an airplane.
- Vikram lander will then slow down with all its engines firing – but the lander is still almost horizontal to the surface of the moon – this is called the rough braking phase which lasts for about 11 minutes.
- Through some maneuvers, the Vikram lander will be made vertical to the moon surface, with this begins the ‘fine braking phase’.
#WATCH | On #Chandrayaan3 mission, former director of ISRO, Dr Surendra Pal says, “I am confident just like the ISRO scientists that we will do much better because a lot of changes have been done in comparison to Chandrayaan 2…A lot of algorithms have been changed…Absolute… pic.twitter.com/oGNaWYLuSF
– ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2023
- The Chandrayaan-3 is aimed at the lunar south pole, a region with water ice, or frozen water, that could be a source of oxygen, fuel and water for future moon missions or a more permanent moon colony.
- If it lands successfully, the Chandrayaan-3 is expected to remain functional for two weeks, running a series of experiments.
- The Chandrayaan-3 lander stands about 2 meters tall and has a mass of just over 1,700 kg, roughly on par with an SUV. It’s designed to deploy a smaller, 26-kg lunar rover.
- NASA administrator Bill Nelson said the U.S. space agency was “looking forward” to what would be learned from the Indian mission.
Indian students and research scholars in Uxbridge, London organised a special prayer at the Adya Shakti Mataji Temple for the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon.
A student present at the prayer said: “In the UK, every student and every professionals are wishing for the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 and we are just wishing that everything goes smoothly and according to the plan and I wish and congratulate all the scientists of ISRO and the Indian government as well.”
The Chandrayaan-3 landing – due at 6.04 pm – will be telecast live across the country. Schools will be open for the event and space enthusiasts are organising parties in anticipation of the historic moment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is attending the BRICS summit in South Africa, will join in online.
#WATCH | Madhya Pradesh: Special ‘Bhasma Aarti’ performed at Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, for the successful landing of #Chandrayaan3
According to ISRO, Chandrayaan-3 is all set to land on the Moon on August 23 at around 18:04 hrs IST. pic.twitter.com/TSTq7yoYQe
– ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) August 23, 2023
#WATCH | Havan is being performed at a temple in Virginia, US for the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3.
According to ISRO, Chandrayaan-3 is all set to land on the Moon on August 23 at around 18:04 hrs IST. pic.twitter.com/4MaPnwjBQR
– ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2023
(This news is published through a syndicated feed courtesy NDTV)