What is Chandrayaan-3 mission and why is it important for India? Here are some frequently asked questions about one of India’s most ambitious Lunar missions.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched the Chandrayaan-3 mission, its second attempt at a soft landing on the Lunar surface. The LVM3 rocket took off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre today at 2:30 pm.
The stakes are high with this ambitious mission—if it succeeds India will join the coveted list of countries to achieve a soft landing on the Moon. So far the US, the erstwhile Soviet Union, and China are the only countries to accomplish it.
While the US and Soviet Union sent countless missions until they made a successful soft landing, China holds the distinction of being the only nation to succeed in its maiden mission. India had also made an attempt—Chandrayaan-2 was launched on July 22, 2019. The mission’s lander and rover were expected to make a soft landing on the Moon on September 7. However, the mission’s lander Vikram and rover Pragyaan crashed on the Moon’s surface in the early hours.
With Chandrayaan-3 mission the hopes are high. If you have not been able to catch up on all the updates related to India’s third lunar mission, here are some frequently asked questions to help you.
Why is Chandrayaan-3 important for India?
The ambitious Chandrayaan-3 launch is one of the most highly-anticipated events of the year. With this India is hoping to be the fourth nation after the US, the Soviet Union, and China to achieve a soft landing on the Moon. This is India’s second after the Chandrayaan-2 mission failed in 2019. Besides, the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission will be a big win for India, as it will be the first-ever mission to land on the South Pole of the Moon, an area that remains largely unexplored by humans. The mission, if successful, will be seen as an example of new technology deployment for future interplanetary missions.
What are the benefits of Chandrayaan-3?
According to ISRO, the Chandrayaan-3 mission has three major objectives – demonstrate safe and soft landing on the surface of the Moon, demonstrate rover operations on the Moon, and conduct on-site experiments on the Lunar surface. Since only a handful of nations have succeeded in such a mission, the success of Chandrayaan-3 will demonstrate India’s technological prowess and bold ambitions in space exploration to the world. Moreover, the mission will likely be the first to conduct a sampling of Moon ice. It is also believed that the large craters spotted on the South Pole can have clues to the composition of earlier solar systems.
Is Chandrayaan-3 a manned mission?
The Chandrayaan-3 is an unmanned mission with the objective of making a soft and safe landing on the Lunar surface. This is India’s third unmanned mission. While Chandrayaan-2 comprised a lander and rover – Vikram and Pragyan respectively, the Chandrayaan-3 will use an orbiter already hovering over the Moon that was launched with Chandrayaan-2 for its communications and other support for terrain mapping.
How many days will it take Chandrayaan-3 to reach the Moon?
The Chandrayaan-3 mission has a long distance to cover. The lander which is carried by the spacecraft is expected to make a soft landing on the Moon on either August 23 or August 24. After it reaches the specific location, the lander will begin its soft landing on the surface of the South Pole region of the Moon. The launch window has been fixed to July, similar to Chandrayaan-2, as during this period the Earth and the Moon are closer to each other.
What is the budget of Chandrayaan-3?
According to ISRO, the Chandrayaan-3 is built on a budget of around Rs 615 crore. In a report from January 2020, ISRO chairman K Sivan was quoted as saying that the lander rover and propulsion module for the mission would cost around Rs 250 crore, while the launch service would cost another Rs 365 crore.
Source:indianexpress.com