Explained: The design and construction of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft are the focus of the development phase, which began in January 2020.



The Chandrayaan-2 project, which had difficulties during its attempt at a soft landing in 2019, is being followed up by the eagerly awaited Chandrayaan-3 mission, which will be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). India's ability to safely land on the moon and investigate its surface will be demonstrated by the next mission. Chandrayaan-3 will launch on July 14, 2023, at 2:35 PM from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, thanks to enhanced design and assembly.


Mission Starts

The design and construction of the spacecraft were the focus of the first phase of Chandrayaan-3's development, which began in January 2020. ISRO has improved, adding stronger impact legs for the lander, after taking note of the failures of the last mission. The development and assembly were delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing back the launch date from early 2021 to later.


Timeline

The Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM 3) rocket will be used to launch Chandrayaan-3 into space. This mission will not contain the orbiter, in contrast to its predecessor. It is anticipated that the spacecraft would arrive at the South Pole of the moon and stay there for one lunar day, or roughly 14 days on Earth.

 

The propulsion module will orbit the Earth multiple times before moving towards the moon in a trajectory identical to Chandrayaan-2's. When the module enters the moon's gravitational field, it will change its orbit to follow a roughly 100 x 100 km circular course. The lander will then disintegrate and plummet to the lunar surface.


Mission Completion and Scientific Objectives



Around one month is thought to be needed to travel from Earth to the moon. Currently slated for August 23–24, the landing could change depending on how the sun rises over the moon. If necessary, ISRO will move the landing to September. The fall is a crucial stage for the mission's success and has been called "15 minutes of terror" by former ISRO chairperson K. Sivan.


The 'Vikram' lander will release its four scientific packages after touchdown to investigate the lunar surface's temperature and subsurface features. The 'Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth' (SHAPE) sensor, which is also on the lander, is used to gather information on Earth's light emission and reflection. As it travels across the terrain, the "Pragyan" rover will conduct chemical tests to investigate the lunar surface.


Why TRAVEL TO THE MOON?

Similar to the innumerable craters that dot the Moon's surface, the moon offers a wide range of solutions and chances in many different fields. According to a NASA assessment, the Moon is a storehouse of Earth's early history because it was formed from the earth, keeping documents that have been lost in our dynamic world owing to geological processes.


Scientists can learn a great deal about Earth's history, the formation and evolution of the Earth-Moon system, and the impact of asteroids on Earth's past and possibly future by exploring the Moon.