DESTINATION MOON

Chandrayaan-3 is a flagship project that can propel India into the space race by attempting to soft land a rover on the Moon’s south pole – a feat never done before. Such spectacular projects are not merely about national pride, but can also capture the public’s imagination and kickstart a scientific revolution in India, argues RAKESH KRISHNAN SIMHA

- RAKESH KRISHNAN SIMHA

Work on Chandrayaan-3, India's second attempt to soft-land a spacecraft on the Moon's South Pole, is proceeding at full tilt. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation, Chandrayaan-3 will be launched using a heavy-lift GSLV Mark III rocket sometime during the middle of 2021. This follows the partial failure of the previous mission during which Chandrayaan-2 inserted a satellite in lunar orbit but couldn’t soft-land its rover on the Moon’s surface in 2019.

The mission, which will consist of a lunar rover and a stationary lander, has an estimated cost of Rs 615 crore or about $91.2 million. That's considerably cheaper than Chandrayaan-2, which cost Rs 970 crore ($136.1 million). The older mission featured an orbiter as well as a lander and rover, which explains the higher price tag. Chandrayaan-3 doesn't need an orbiter; the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter remains in good health and should continue to operate for years to come.

Chandrayaan-3 is India’s most complex and prestigious space project. What’s unique about the mission is that ISRO will attempt to launch the rover in the lunar South Pole for the first time. Till date no country except India has made an attempt to land a rover in the polar region; all lunar probes have operated near the Moon’s equator.

Mission continuity is critical for rapid advances in space and the government’s decision to provide funding for the project despite the 2019 setback is a sign that India and ISRO are taking the competition seriously. Mylswamy Annadurai, the scientist behind the successful Mars explorer (Mangalyaan) and Chandrayaan-1 missions, told the media that ISRO’s “long-term mission will be to have a permanent research station on the Moon”.