ISRO is launching an unmanned lunar exploration project, Chandrayaan-3. Among its mission objectives is conducting in-situ scientific experiments.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced it will launch the much-awaited third edition of its lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, in the target launch window that spans between July 12 and 19.
ISRO chairman S Somanath said they are making the final preparations. It will be finished by this month’s end. ISRO will use the rocket, LVM-3, whose assembly is going on. Every part required to assemble has arrived in Sriharikota.
The unmanned lunar exploration project comes after Chandrayaan-2, which failed to placea rover on the moon. The forthcoming launch would show end-to-end competence in safe lunar landing and exploration.
According to ISRO, the Chandrayaan-3 has three mission objectives.
1) The demonstration of a soft and secure landing on the lunar surface;
2) The demonstration of Rover roving on the moon
3) Conducting in-situ scientific experiments.
During Chandrayaan-2’s attempt to land on 7th September, 2019, it hit a hurdle. In the descent stage, the link with the lander was lost after the Vikram lander that carried the Pragyan rover moved away from its original course.
The orbiter portion of Chandrayaan-2, which is still operational, continues to orbit the moon and gather critical scientific data notwithstanding the unforeseen conclusion. The project marked a turning point in India’s ambitions to explore space, showcasing its technological capability and paving the path for further lunar explorations.
The landing legs of Chandrayaan-3, which will be mounted atop the GSLV-Mk3 launcher, have been reinforced and it can carry more fuel. It features larger solar panels and additional sensors embedded in it to create more energy. Additionally, it features a recently created “Laser Doppler VelociMeter” equipment to gauge its velocity.
The ISRO Chairman stated, “We have also altered its algorithm and included new software to enable Chandrayaan land in another place if there is any malfunction at the designated spot. It should be emphasized that Chandrayaan-2 is said to have crashed because of a software error rather than one of its components failing mechanically.
The propulsion module, according to ISRO, will move the lander and rover combination to a 100 kilometer lunar orbit. The Spectropolarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload is also part of this module, and it will analyze Earth’s spectral and polarimetric observations from the lunar orbit.
