Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Set To Launch Lunar Lander Chandrayaan-3 Next Week

India is pushing its third lunar exploration mission Chandrayaan-3 next week. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) aims to land a rover on the moon.

ISRO to Launch Chandrayaan-3

The next Chandrayaan mission, which means "moon vehicle" in Sanskrit, will be launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) at 2:35 p.m. IST (2:05 a.m. PDT) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the island of Sriharikota in South India on July 14, according to a tweet from the space agency on Thursday. The LVM3 M4 mission has the codename LVM3 M4, which will have a lander, propulsion module, and rover to softly and safely touch down on the lunar surface, roving, and perform on-site scientific investigations.

In August, Chandrayaan-3 is scheduled to touchdown. If successful, India's mission will make it the fourth nation in the world to successfully perform a soft landing on the moon, joining the United States, China, and the former Soviet Union.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission was previously anticipated for 2022 when it was first announced in January 2020. Findings from the space agency's previous $140 million moon lander mission, which failed minutes before it was scheduled to touch down on the lunar surface in September 2019, have been taken into account. In the months that followed its July launch, it made its way to the moon, TechCrunch+ reported.

The lander is equipped with an accelerometer, Ka-band and laser altimeters, a Doppler velocimeter, star sensors, an inclinometer, a touchdown sensor, and cameras for situational awareness and obstacle avoidance.

Additionally, ISRO will conduct qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis on the rover using a laser-induced breakdown spectroscope and an alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, as well as study the elemental composition of the lunar soil and rocks around the landing site.

What Is Chandrayaan-3 Mission?

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-up mission to Chandrayaan-2. The mission aims to demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, demonstrate rover roving on the moon, and conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

It is configured with Landers and Rovers. LVM3 will launch out of SDSC SHAR in SriharikotaThe propulsion module will propel the lander and rover configuration up to a 100-kilometer lunar orbit. To examine Earth's spectral and Polarimetric data from the lunar orbit, the propulsion module is equipped with the Spectro-Polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload.

To research and showcase new technology necessary for interplanetary missions, Chandrayaan-3 is made up of an indigenous Lander module (LM), Propulsion module (PM), and Rover. The Lander will be able to soft-land at a chosen location on the moon and release the Rover, which will conduct in-situ chemical assessments of the lunar surface while it is moving.

There are scientific payloads on the Lander and the Rover that will conduct lunar surface tests. The main job of PM is to transport the LM from injection into the launch vehicle to the final 100 km circular polar orbit of the moon and then to release the LM from PM.

In addition to that, the Propulsion Module carries a scientific payload that will operate when the Lander Module separates. The GSLV-Mk3 launch vehicle has been designated for Chandrayaan-3, and it will place the integrated module in an Elliptic Parking Orbit (EPO) with a dimension of approximately 170 x 36500 kilometers.

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