Chandrayaan-3 to launch today! Timing, landing date and more details of India’s moon mission

If the mission is successful, India would join an exclusive group of countries that have accomplished this achievement, including the United States, China, and the former Soviet Union.

The highly anticipated third edition of India’s lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, is scheduled to launch on July 14 at 2:35 pm from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, using a Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3). Scientists and people from India and around the world are eagerly awaiting the successful execution of India’s moon mission. The countdown for this historic mission began on Thursday, as stated in a tweet by ISRO: “The countdown for tomorrow’s launch at 14:35:17 Hrs. IST has started.”

All about Chandrayaan-3 mission to the moon:

1. Following the crash-landing of Chandrayaan-2 in September 2019 due to a software glitch, Chandrayaan-3 has been developed as a subsequent mission with several improvements to ensure success. It is anticipated to land on the Moon on August 23.
2. Chandrayaan-3 comprises an indigenous propulsion module, lander module, and a rover aimed at developing and demonstrating new technologies for inter-planetary missions. The propulsion module will transport the lander and rover from the injection orbit to the lunar orbit up to 100 km. Additionally, it carries a payload called Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planetary Earth (SHAPE) for studying earth from the lunar orbit.
3. The successful completion of Chandrayaan-3 would place India among a select group of nations, including the United States, China, and the former Soviet Union, who have achieved this feat.
4. Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan highlighted the significance of India’s ambitious space program, Chandrayaan-3, stating that a successful landing would make India the fourth nation to accomplish such a mission, thereby fostering space science development in the country.
5. Nambi Narayanan further emphasized that a successful Chandrayaan-3 mission would enhance India’s position in the global space industry, which is currently only 2 percent of the $600 billion industry.
6. ISRO Chairman S Somanath explained that Chandrayaan-3 was designed with a focus on failure-based design rather than success-based design, addressing potential failures and ensuring a successful landing.
7. Unlike Chandrayaan-2, which consisted of a Vikram lander, Pragyan rover, and an orbiter, Chandrayaan-3 will launch with a lander and a rover. The orbiter from Chandrayaan-2 will be utilized for communication and terrain mapping requirements.
8. The Chandrayaan-3 lander mission is equipped with “lander hazard detection and avoidance cameras” to coordinate with the orbiter and mission control during the landing process on the lunar surface.
9. The landing area for Chandrayaan-3 has been expanded from 500m x 500m to a larger area of four km by 2.5 km. The flexibility allows landing at various points within the expanded area based on performance conditions.
10. The Chandrayaan-3 mission incorporates additional fuel and capabilities to handle dispersion or move to an alternate landing site. The Vikram lander now has additional solar panels on various surfaces to ensure power generation regardless of its landing orientation.