India has embarked on an exciting lunar journey with the launch of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. This mission is a significant step forward in our quest to explore the moon’s south pole, an area of great scientific interest.
Chandrayaan-3, the third installment in India’s lunar exploration program, has begun its mission to delve into the mysteries of the moon’s southern region. This mission promises to provide valuable insights into the lunar surface and its composition, which could hold crucial information for future space endeavors.
On Wednesday, the front page of The Times of India carried the headline “India’s Lunar Quest,” drawing attention to the much-anticipated moon landing that had everyone talking locally.
India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission, which is an important step in exploring the moon’s southern region, has achieved a successful landing. This success has boosted India’s confidence to continue its space endeavors, including sending humans into space and launching missions to Mars.
Shortly after the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) mission landed on August 23, and the sun illuminated the landing area, Chandrayaan-3 carefully extended a ramp. This allowed the compact Pragyan rover, weighing only 26 kilograms and equipped with six wheels, to smoothly roll onto the lunar surface.
Over the next couple of weeks, the rover will conduct experiments to study the surface using its Alpha Particle X-ray spectrometer. It’s also on the lookout for water ice, which could be incredibly valuable for a future crewed base by providing drinking water, oxygen, and fuel for spacecraft.
Both the lander and the rover are expected to function for one lunar day, equivalent to about 14 Earth days. After that, as the sun sets, they won’t be able to generate energy from their solar panels. There’s a chance, although not guaranteed, that they might spring back to life once the sun rises again after a two-week period of darkness and extremely cold temperatures dropping to -238°C (-396.4°F). But this would be a delightful surprise.
Chandrayaan-3’s journey:
Chandrayaan-3’s journey is a testament to India’s growing prowess in space exploration, it also represents a global effort to expand our understanding of the moon. With its state-of-the-art instruments and technology, Chandrayaan-3 is set to uncover new discoveries and pave the way for further lunar exploration.
As we eagerly await updates from this remarkable mission, we can all share in the excitement of India’s continued achievements in space exploration. Chandrayaan-3 is a testament to the spirit of scientific discovery and international collaboration, bringing us one step closer to unraveling the mysteries of our celestial neighbor, the moon.
The mission started about six weeks ago with a big crowd cheering it on, but it took longer to reach the moon compared to the Apollo missions from the 1960s and 1970s, which got there in just a few days.
India is using rockets that aren’t as powerful as the ones the United States used during those earlier missions. As a result, the spacecraft has to go around Earth multiple times to pick up enough speed before it can begin its month-long journey to the moon.
India achieved a groundbreaking moment by successfully landing its spacecraft near the moon’s south pole. Before this historic event, only China, the US, and the Soviet Union had gently landed spacecraft on the moon, and the South Pole remained unexplored.
What makes this mission even more remarkable is its budget, which was a mere Rs 615 crore (£59 million). To put this in perspective, it’s less than half of the adjusted-for-inflation budget of $149 million for the 1995 movie “Apollo 13,” which was solely a depiction of a moon mission.
Chandrayaan-3, named after the Sanskrit term for “moon craft,” began its journey by launching aboard a Launch Vehicle Mark-III rocket from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh on July 14. Over six weeks, it covered a distance of about 380,000 kilometers to reach the moon.
