Sriharikota: “Carrying the hopes and dreams of the entire nation,” the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its third lunar mission - Chandrayaan 3 on board the heavy-lift LVM3-M4 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on Friday. At the end of the 25.30 hour countdown, the LVM3-M4 rocket, the largest and heaviest in its class and dubbed as 'Fat Boy' lifted off majestically at a prefixed time at 2.35 pm from the second launch pad, discharging thick plumes of smoke.


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Thousands of spectators who had converged to witness the historic launch cheered the rocket as it made its ascent into the skies. With the Chandrayaan-3 mission, scientists are aiming at mastering soft landing on the lunar surface, a challenging technical aspect which is planned for late August. A successful mission would make India only the fourth country to achieve the rare feat after the United States, China and the former Soviet Union.


 



 


How Long Is The Journey From Earth To Moon?



The journey from Earth to the moon for the spacecraft is estimated to take about a month and the landing is expected on August 23. Upon landing, it will operate for one lunar day, which is approximately 14 Earth days. One day on the Moon is equal to 14 days on Earth. Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar exploration mission, will make India the fourth country after US, China, and Russia, to land its spacecraft on the surface of the moon and demonstrate the country’s abilities for safe and soft landing on the lunar surface.


Chandrayaan-3 is the ISRO's follow-up attempt after the Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing on the lunar surface in 2019 and was eventually deemed to have failed its core mission objectives.


Chandrayaan-3 will be inserted into the Lunar Transfer Trajectory after the orbit-raising manoeuvres. Covering a distance of over 300,000 km, it will reach the Moon in the coming weeks. Scientific instruments onboard will study the Moon’s surface and enhance our knowledge.


Chandrayaan-3 is equipped with a lander, a rover and a propulsion module. It weighs around 3,900 kilograms. Moon serves as a repository of the Earth’s past and a successful lunar mission by India will help enhance life on Earth while also enabling it to explore the rest of the solar system and beyond.


When Will B The Soft Landing On Moon?


 



If things go as planned, the Chandrayaan-3 lander Vikram will touch down on the lunar surface at 5.47 PM on August 23, after a 40-day journey, according to two top ISRO scientists. After the last-stage failure of the Chndrayaan-2, this time ISRO has made elaborate arrangements and even the minutest calculations to ensure a safe landing for its third moon mission. ISRO’s Bengaluru station will track and monitor the final landing on August 23.


Unlike Chandrayaan-2, this time, the lander will be tracked from ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) station in Bengaluru. Going by the calculations, Vikram is expected to make a touchdown on Moon at 5.47 pm on August 23. However, there may be a slight change due to variations in the mission profile.


ISRO, through a tweet, confirmed that the spacecraft GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) has successfully launched Chandrayaan-3 into orbit. ISRO scientists announced the successful separation of the Satellite from the launch Vehicle. The Satellite has now been injected into the desired Orbit to begin its journey to the Moon. “Chandrayaan-3, in its precise orbit, has begun its journey to the Moon. The health of the Spacecraft is normal,” ISRO tweeted minutes after the launch.


PM Modi Congratulates ISRO For Successful Launch


 


Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated the ISRO scientists minutes after India's Chandrayaan-3 lifted off successfully from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, carrying the ''hopes of an entire nation.'' In his message, the PM wrote on Twitter, ''Chandrayaan-3 scripts a new chapter in India's space odyssey. It soars high, elevating the dreams and ambitions of every Indian. This momentous achievement is a testament to our scientists' relentless dedication. I salute their spirit and ingenuity!'' 


''July 14, 2023, will always be etched in golden letters in the annals of India’s space sector history,'' said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ahead of the launch of the much-awaited Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission. 


“This remarkable mission will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation,” PM Modi had tweeted earlier. “Thanks to our scientists, India has a very rich history in the space sector. Chandrayaan-1 is considered to be a path breaker among global lunar missions as it confirmed the presence of water molecules on the moon. It featured in over 200 scientific publications around the world,” PM Modi wrote on Twitter.


“Till Chandrayaan-1, the moon was believed to be a bone-dry, geologically inactive and uninhabitable celestial body. Now, it is seen as a dynamic and geologically active body with the presence of water and sub-surface ice,” he added, asserting it might be potentially inhabited in the future.


Chandrayaan-2



Chandrayaan-2 was equally pathbreaking because data from the Orbiter associated with it detected the presence of chromium, manganese and sodium for the first time through remote sensing. This will also provide more insights into the moon’s magmatic evolution, PM Modi stated.


The key scientific outcomes from Chandrayaan-2 include the first-ever global map for lunar sodium, enhancing knowledge on crater size distribution, unambiguous detection of lunar surface water ice with IIRS instrument and more. The mission has been featured in almost 50 publications.


Extending best wishes for the Chandrayaan-3 mission, PM Modi urged people to know more about this lunar mission and the strides India has made in space, science and innovation. “It will make you all very proud,” he added.


Chandrayaan-3’s development phase commenced in January 2020 with the launch planned sometime in 2021. However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen delay to the mission's progress. K Sivan, former director of ISRO, told ANI that the success of mission Chandrayan-3 will give a morale boost to programmes like Gaganyan, India's first manned space mission.


Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, who has been instrumental in the country’s space sector innovation, said on Thursday the Chandrayaan-3 mission is going to be successful and a game-changer event for India.


''Chandrayaan-3 will definitely be a game changer for India and I hope it will be successful. India will become an inspiration to the entire world. Let's wait for the launch and pray for the best," Nambi Narayanan said.