CHANDRAYAAN 3

 

                                                                 Chandrayan 3

Along with the launch of ISRO chandrayan3, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is preparing to conduct a successful soft landing on the Moon.

  India aims to become the fourth country in the world to achieve this , joining the ranks of the United States, Russia and China.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:

  Introduction:

   Chandrayaan-3 is India's third lunar mission and second attempt at soft landing on the lunar surface. Under this mission, Chandrayaan-3 took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) in Sriharikota on July 14 2023, at 2:35 pm.

 Objective of Chandrayaan-3 Mission:

       1   To make a safe  landing on the surface of the Moon.

       2    checking of rover moving on the moon.

       3   To conduct scientific experiments.

  features:

   The lander (Vikram) and rover  (Pragyan) of Chandrayaan-3 are similar to those of the Chandrayaan-2 mission. The scientific payloads on the lander are aimed at studying various aspects of the Moon's environment. These payloads include studying lunar earthquakes, surface thermal properties, changes in plasma near the surface, and precise measurements of the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

  Changes and improvements in Chandrayaan-3:

 It has an extended landing area which allows it to land safely within a large designated area.

 The lander is equipped with more fuel to cover longer distances to the landing site..

 The Chandrayaan-3 lander has solar panels on four sides as compared to only two solar panels inChandrayaan-2.

  High-resolution images from the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter are used to determine the landing site.

  Chandrayaan-3 has additional navigational and guidance equipment to continuously monitor the speed of the lander and make necessary corrections.

  It consists of an instrument called Laser Doppler Velocimeter which will emit laser beam on the lunar surface to measure the speed of the lander.

 Launch and Timeline:

  LVM3 M4 Launcher has been successfully used to launch Chandrayaan 3. The spacecraft separated from the rocket about 16 minutes after LVM3 took off. It entered an elliptical parking orbit (EPO).

  The journey of Chandrayaan-3 is estimated to take around 42 days, with its moon landing scheduled for August 23, 2023.

   The mission life of the lander and rover will be one lunar day (about 14 Earth days) as they operate on solar power.

  The landing site of Chandrayaan-3 is near the south pole of the Moon.

Significance of Moon landing near South Pole:

 

 Historically, spacecraft missions to the Moon have primarily targeted the equatorial region due to its favorable terrain and operating conditions.

 However, the south pole of the Moon is a vastly different and more challenging terrain than the equatorial region.

  Sunlight is scarce in some of the polar regions, resulting in perpetual darkness in those regions where temperatures can reach -230 °C.

Types of Moon Missions:

  Flybys: These missions involve spacecraft passing near the Moon without entering lunar orbit,     allowing for distant observations.

 Examples include Pioneer 3 and 4 by the United States and Luna 3 by Soviet Russia.

  Orbiter: These spacecraft enter the lunar orbit to study the lunar surface and atmosphere for a long time.

 Other facts     

  Luna 9 was the first successful landing on the Moon by Soviet Russia in the year 1966.

  Rovers: Rovers are specialized payloads that detach from the landers and move independently on the lunar surface.

 These collect valuable data and overcome the limitations of stationary landers. The rover of Chandrayaan-2 was named Pragyan (the same name has been kept for Chandrayaan-3).

  Manned Mission: These missions involve the landing of astronauts on the surface of the Moon.

 Only NASA has achieved this feat with six successful landings during the years 1969 to 1972.

 NASA's Artemis III, planned for the year 2025, will mark the return of humans to the Moon.