INDIA, MOON BOUND!

ISRO’s third mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-3 aims to land on the lunar South Pole, a feat yet to be achieved by any nation

- AYUSHEE CHAUDHARY

THE WORLD TURNED ITS GAZE TOWARD THE SKY ON JULY 14, 2023 as Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar exploration mission, embarked on its extraordinary journey toward the moon. Propelled by the robust Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), this mission aims to make history by landing on the lunar South Pole, a feat yet to be achieved by any nation. If successful, India will become the fourth country to softly touch down on the moon’s surface, following the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China.

This venture is India’s second attempt at a lunar landing, following the Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019. The first mission, Chandrayaan-1, discovered the presence of water molecules at the lunar South Pole using its orbiter. While Chandrayaan-2 could not achieve a soft landing, its orbiter continued to observe the moon. Now, Chandrayaan-3 seeks to build upon the accomplishments of its predecessors, leveraging the knowledge gained from over a decade of lunar exploration.

WHAT DOES CHANDRAYAAN-3 CONTAIN? 

Chandrayaan-3, weighing 3,900 kg and with a cost of about 6.1 billion rupees ($75 million; £58 million), shares the same objectives as its previous iteration. Its primary goal remains to achieve a soft landing on the surface of the Moon, as emphasised by ISRO. The lander, named Vikram in honor of the founder of ISRO, Vikram Sarabhai, has a weight of approximately 1,500 kg. Within its payload lies the rover, Pragyaan, weighing 26 kg, aptly named after the Sanskrit word for wisdom.