The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft achieved a soft landing on the surface of the Moon on Wednesday night. It confirms India’s position as a major space power. This event was coordinated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). With the mission’s success, India has become the fourth nation to land a spacecraft on the Moon overall and the first to do it on the lunar south pole.
At 6:04 PM (IST), the Vikram lander of the spacecraft successfully completed a soft touchdown. It puts an end to the Chandrayaan-2 lander’s four-year-ago crash-landing. S Somnath, the head of ISRO, congratulated the mission’s scientists’ team. He stated that the lander’s condition would now be examined, and the rover is expected to separate from the module within the next few hours.
Today, the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission from India will begin a vital final phase. It is all set to land on the moon at about 6:04 p.m. As of August 22, the mission, according to ISRO, is on schedule, and its live telecast will start on Wednesday at 5:20 pm.
Much has been made of the fact that India will be the only nation to do so if the Lander manages a “soft landing” on the Moon’s south pole. After that, the rover, a little vehicle designed to travel about on the Moon’s surface, will emerge from the Lander.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, which serves as India’s primary space port.
After Russia’s unsuccessful effort to land on the south pole of the moon before it, it has since looped through ever wider-ranging orbits of Earth, changed to a lunar orbit, and become a source of pride for the country and interest for the whole world.
Why is Chandrayaan-3 landing on the south pole and what does an easy landing mean?
The mission’s three goals, according to ISRO, are:
- to demonstrate a safe and gentle landing on the lunar surface,
- to display a Rover roaming on the Moon, and
- to carry out in-situ scientific research.
At a latitude of 70 degrees, the landing spot is close to the moon’s south pole.
Since it is simpler and safer to land here, every previous spacecraft that landed land on the Moon landed so close to the equator. For long and sustained functioning of instruments, the terrain and temperature are more favorable. Sunlight is also available, providing solar-powered devices with a consistent source of energy.
But there are differences in the polar regions of the Moon. Temperatures in several areas might go below 230 degrees Celsius since they are located in entirely dark areas without sunlight. The operation of instruments becomes challenging as a result. Large craters may also be seen all over the landscape.
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