To better understand the Moon, ISRO intends to make a soft landing on August 23 with a payload named Rambha and ILSA.
ISRO launched India’s third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 perched on GSLV Mark 3 heavy-lift launch vehicle, named ‘Bahubali’ rocket, at 2.35 p.m. from Sri Harikota.
On July 14 at 2:35 pm, the Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-III) rocket carrying India’s Chandrayaan-3 moon mission was successfully launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center at the second launch pad in Sriharikota. This is India’s second attempt to soft-land robotic instruments on the lunar surface, after Chandrayaan-2’s failed attempt in 2019.
ISRO Chairman S. Somnath told the media after the successful launch that the next 42 days are crucial. “As per the programme, we will do five maneuvers towards the Earth, which will end on July 31. Trans-lunar insertion will happen after that, and that will happen on August 1. After that it will be captured by the Moon. Propulsion after that on August 17 The module and the lander module will separate. If everything goes according to plan, the landing is currently scheduled for August 23 at 5:47 PM IST, the speaker further said.
Modi’s new chapter
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted in support of the mission: “Chandrayaan-3 writes a new chapter in India’s space journey. It soars high, fuels the aspirations and desires of every Indian. This outstanding achievement by our scientists Evidence of unwavering commitment. I applaud their creativity and spirit.
The launch was attended by Minister of State Jitendra Singh, who said, “It is indeed a proud occasion for India. I applaud the ISRO team for upholding the honor of India. Also, today is the day when Vikram Sarabhai’s dream of 60 years ago has come true.”
The LVM-3 spacecraft separated from the rocket 16 minutes after launch. It was an integrated module consisting of Rover, Lander and Propulsion Module. This introduced an EPO, or elliptical parking orbit. A distance of about 170 kilometers separated the closest and farthest approaches to the planet in this orbit, respectively.
An indigenous Propulsion Module (PM) and Lander Module (LM) make up Chandrayaan-3. The goal of the mission is to build and demonstrate new technology needed for extraterrestrial missions.
The lander (carrying the rover) will be moved by the propulsion module from the EPO around the Earth to a circular orbit at an altitude of 100 km around the Moon. This module also includes the ‘Spectro-Polarimetry of Habitable Planetary Earth’ (SHAPE) instrument to analyze the spectrum emission from Earth.