India’s space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has successfully launched a rocket as a part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission with the aim of landing a spacecraft at the lunar south pole. This challenging endeavor, if accomplished, would establish India as a significant player in space exploration.
The ISRO’s LVM3 launch rocket took off from the country’s primary spaceport in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission derives its name from the Sanskrit term meaning “moon vehicle.” The is a plan to deploy a lander and rover near the lunar south pole. The mission’s target date for this deployment is around August 23. The lander and rover will carry out scientific exploration and research activities in this region of the moon.
Mission control at the Satish Dhawan Space Center erupted in applause and cheers as ISRO engineers and scientists closely monitored the launch of the spacecraft.
Following the successful launch, ISRO Director Sreedhara Panicker Somanath conveyed his congratulations, stating, “Congratulations India. Chandrayaan-3 has started its journey towards the moon.” This momentous achievement puts India in a selected group of countries, including the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China, that have successfully landed a lander on the moon’s surface.
Notably, none of these countries have landed near the lunar south pole, making the Chandrayaan-3 mission particularly significant. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that the mission carried the hopes and dreams of the nation.
As part of the mission, engineers have designed a 2-meter-tall lander to deploy a rover near the lunar south pole. The specific details of these experiments and their scientific objectives have not been provided.
During ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2020, the orbiter was successfully deployed. However, the lander named Vikram and the rover named Pragyan experienced a crash near the intended landing site.
With the upcoming Chandrayaan-3 mission, the objective is to attempt a touchdown near the same area where the crash occurred.
Pragyan, meaning “wisdom” in Sanskrit, is designed to operate for one lunar day, which is equivalent to approximately 14 Earth days. Within this timeframe, the rover will conduct its planned experiments and gather valuable data about the moon’s surface.
