Touching the Moon: India’s Epic Chronicle of Space Success!

Our Giant Leap in Lunar Exploration with Chandrayaan-3!

The legacy of Indian space research

From the ancient ages of civilization in India, science has always been one of the prime focus points of regular research & studies. The unbelievable expertise & excellence of Indian scientists & mathematicians are always been a matter of high curiosity to the rest of the world!

Space exploration also captured their attention thousands of years ago. Their thirst for knowing the unknown propelled them to offer insights into the mysteries of the cosmos while fostering knowledge advancement. Aryabhatta, Brahmgupta & Bhaskaracharya are some of the leading pioneers of today’s India’s space success, whose findings & thoughts are enough to astonish us!

The emergence of modern Indian space exploration

Among the stars, our closest celestial neighbor, the moon, has always been a place of interest with its presence & mysteries. India’s cosmic journey embarked upon a new trajectory after independence. In 1962, the Government of India established a foundation named INCOSPAR (the Indian National Committee for Space Research) to boost space research in the country.

Later in 1969, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was established and the man behind it was Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the visionary scientist and a father figure of today’s India’s space research.

The journey of ISRO

Time passed by, and through strong perseverance & dedication, what began as a modest venture has blossomed into a global leader in space research and technology!

Throughout the years, ISRO achieved remarkable milestones that have captured the world’s attention! In 2013, India launched the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), which placed India on the map as the first Asian nation to reach Martian orbit!

Also, ISRO has successfully launched many satellites including Earth Observation Satellites, Communication Satellites, Space Science & Exploration Satellites, Navigation Satellites, Experimental Satellites, and more that not only foster national pride but also contribute to economic growth & knowledge expansion, and showcase its expertise in engineering, innovation & international collaboration.
Along with all these, the Chandrayaan missions are among the most significant ones in India’s space program!

Chandrayaan Missions

Chandrayaan-1

The first mission of the Chandrayaan program, Chandrayaan-1 was launched in 2008. This mission achieved a historic milestone by discovering water molecules on the moon’s surface! The findings of Chandrayaan-1 helped a lot in empowering our understanding of the moon’s composition and potential for future lunar exploration. This mission was officially active till August 2009 and was stopped by ISRO for getting different issues of the orbiter like the failure of the star tracker & poor thermal shielding.

Chandrayaan-2

Chandrayaan-2 was launched in 2019. It consisted of a lunar orbiter, a lander named Vikram, and a rover named Pragyan, aiming to explore the uncharted territory of the moon! All of these were developed in India and it was a demonstration of pure technical brilliance by Indian science geniuses! While the orbiter continues to provide valuable data from lunar orbit, the lander’s attempted soft landing faced some challenges. The communication was lost during the descent!
This was something heartbreaking for sure, but the rock-solid resilience & dedication of the scientists and the valuable experience gained from this mission paved the way for the next phase of India’s lunar exploration, Chandrayaan-3!

Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3 was a culmination of technological innovation & lessons learned. This mission had three major objectives, namely: the soft landing on the lunar surface, roving on the moon, and performing some specific scientific experiments.
It was a testament to the relentless pursuit of excellence, equipped with proper guidance, navigation, and control systems to ensure a safe & precise touchdown on the surface of the moon. Learning from the lessons of Chandrayaan-2, ISRO scientists have worked enormously to address the technical issues that arrived during the last mission’s landing attempt and also to remove other potential threats.

Infrastructural & performance specifications of Chandrayaan-3: Technical excellence, based on the parameters

The total mass of Chandrayaan-3 is 3900 kg which includes 1752 kg (including Rover of 26 kg) Lander Module and 2148 kg of Propulsion Module.

The power generations are-

• Lander Module- 738W, WS with Bias
• Rover- 50W
• Propulsion Module- 758 W

The designed communication specifications are-

• Lander Module communicates with IDSN and Rover (Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter is also there for a contingency link).
• Rover communicates only with Lander.
• Propulsion Module communicates with IDSN

There are several advanced technologies used in the Lander of Chandrayaan-3 to put it as much closer as possible to perfection!
They are-

• Laser & RF based Altimeters
• Laser Doppler Velocimeter & Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera
• Laser Gyro-based Inertial referencing and Accelerometer package
• 800N Throttleable Liquid Engines, 58N attitude thrusters & Throttleable Engine Control Electronics
• Powered Descent Trajectory design and associated software elements
• Lander Hazard Detection & Avoidance Camera and Processing Algorithm
• Landing Leg Mechanism.

The Payloads

Lander Payloads

• RAMBHA (Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive ionosphere and Atmosphere) & LP (Langmuir probe)
• ChaSTE (Chandra’s Surface Thermo physical Experiment)
• ILSA (Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity)
• LRA (LASER Retroreflector Array)

Rover Payloads

• LIBS (LASER Induced Breakdown Spectroscope)
• Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer

Propulsion Module Payloads

• SHAPE (Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth)

Journey of Chandrayaan-3 & its success

It was 14 July 2023, when Chandrayaan-3 was launched, the entire nation stood united in anticipation, witnessing the epitome of human endeavor! By aiming to perfect the landing technology, Chandrayaan-3 was carrying the hopes of 1.42 billion people! And this time it was another level of perfection from every means!

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
🔍What’s new here?

Pragyan rover roams around Shiv Shakti Point in pursuit of lunar secrets at the South Pole 🌗! pic.twitter.com/1g5gQsgrjM

— ISRO (@isro) August 26, 2023

After the launch, Chandrayaan-3 wasted no time to start working as per the instructions. Everything was going perfectly and at last, the time had arrived! On 23 August 2023 at 6:04 PM IST, India created history by becoming the first country to land on the lunar south pole, a region that had never been explored before!

With this, India became the 4th country to land on the moon, after the US, Russia (formerly the USSR) & China. It was a result of countless hours, meticulous testing & scientific brilliance, that led to this grand success! Surely, that was a moment of celebration for each one of this country and also for the people all over the world who cheer for science & technology!

The quick findings by Chandrayaan-3

After the landing, Chandrayaan-3 sent valuable data & images and provided insights to help the scientists understand the moon’s topography, mineralogy, and geological transition, aiming to shed light on its evolution and & the broader aspect of our solar system.

• One of the initial findings of Chandrayaan-3 is the temperature of lunar soil is around 50° Celsius. On its Twitter handle, ISRO shared a graphical representation that shows the variation of temperature on the lunar surface along with the depth.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
Here are the first observations from the ChaSTE payload onboard Vikram Lander.

ChaSTE (Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment) measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole, to understand the thermal behaviour of the moon’s… pic.twitter.com/VZ1cjWHTnd

— ISRO (@isro) August 27, 2023

• As per the latest update, the Rover found a 4-meter diameter crater at just 3 meters ahead of it. So, it’s heading on a new path smartly & safely.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:

On August 27, 2023, the Rover came across a 4-meter diameter crater positioned 3 meters ahead of its location.
The Rover was commanded to retrace the path.

It’s now safely heading on a new path.#Chandrayaan_3#Ch3 pic.twitter.com/QfOmqDYvSF

— ISRO (@isro) August 28, 2023

There will be much more to come continuously and these collected data will contribute to a deeper understanding of lunar resources and their potential applications for future space endeavors.

The significance & impacts of this mission

Chandrayaan-3’s success was a testament to the unwavering efforts of ISRO’s scientists, engineers, and technicians who turned dreams into reality! This mission has represented a remarkable blend of technology, innovation, and scientific curiosity. It not only promotes India’s reputation in space exploration but also makes us stronger enough to establish our approach to promoting peaceful international coexistence and mutual benefit. Besides being a scientific win, it’s an inspiration to push boundaries, beat the obstacles & embrace the unknown.

Wrapping up, with immense pride!

This triumph is just a reminder that our celebration journey into the cosmos has just begun and there are far more miles to go! It was not just a scientific victory, but evidence of our capacity to overcome challenges & become a space superpower! ISRO is dedicated to deciphering the universe’s most profound secrets and making the impossible possible! The success story of Chandrayaan-3 stands poised to make its mark on history and will continue to inspire generations to come.