NordenBladet – Chandrayaan-3 is the third Indian lunar exploration mission under the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan programme. It consists of a lander named Vikram and a rover named Pragyan, similar to those of the Chandrayaan-2 mission. The propulsion module carried the lander and rover configuration to lunar orbit in preparation for a powered descent by the lander.
Chandrayaan-3 was launched on 14 July 2023. The spacecraft entered lunar orbit on 5 August, and the lander touched down in the lunar south pole region on 23 August 2023 at 12:32 UTC, making India the fourth country to successfully land on the Moon, and the first to do so near the lunar south pole.
ISRO’s mission objectives for the Chandrayaan-3 mission were:
* Getting a lander to land safely and softly on the surface of the Moon.
* Observing and demonstrating the rover’s driving capabilities on the Moon.
* Conducting and observing experiments on the materials available on the lunar surface to better understand the composition of the Moon.
On 26th August, ISRO confirmed that two out of the three mission objectives have been accomplished already, while the third scientific experiments, is underway.
Recently, Russia also tried to land on the surface of the moon, but their automatic station Luna-25 was destroyed in a collision with the surface of the moon. Before that, Russian spacecraft had not reached the surface of the moon for 50 years.
Where is the Chandrayaan 3 now?
Pragyan rover of Chandrayaan 3 has been carrying out experiments on the South Pole of the moon since its successful landing on August 23.
Why is Chandrayaan-3 important?
On Aug. 23, thanks to the success of Chandrayaan-3, India made a strong mark in space history. Not only did it become the first nation to land a spacecraft near the south pole of the moon, but also the fourth to create imprints on Earth’s gleaming companion at all.
Who invented Chandrayaan-3?
S Somanath, an aerospace engineer, helped in the design of the rocket the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 or the Bahuballi rocket that lifted Chandrayaan-3 into orbit. He is seen as an able leader whom the scientists and engineers at ISRO look up to.
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