Chandrayaan-3’s Lunar Lander Vikram is expected to make a soft landing on the south pole of the Moon on August 23. There is excitement all over with the entire nation praying for successful landing of India's third Moon Mission. A Coimbatore-based miniature artist has designed a 1.5-inch model of Chandrayaan-3 using 4 grams of gold. The artist, Mariappan, told ANI that he uses gold every time an important event takes place. By creating this model, he said, he wanted to express his gratitude to all the scientists who made the Chandrayaan project happen. He said it took him 48 hours to make the miniature Chandrayaan model.
“I make miniature models using gold every time an important event takes place. This is a proud moment for every Indian. To express my gratitude to all the scientists involved in the Chandrayaan project, I designed this model using 4 grams of gold. It took me 48 hours to design this,” Mariappan told ANI.
Chandrayaan-3’s Moon landing is scheduled for touchdown at 6:04 pm on August 23 based on module health and lunar conditions.
A senior Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official on Monday said the final landing maneuver is a very complex one and the decision for touchdown will be taken two hours prior to the action. A top official in the agency mentioned that it can even be “postponed” if the situation is unfavourable.
If the landing is delayed, Chandrayaan-3 may operate on the Moon for about 10 days, instead of 14 Earth days, K. Siddhartha, Earth Scientist at ISRO, told ABP Live Monday. This means if Chandrayaan-3's landing is delayed, the spacecraft may touch down on the lunar south pole on August 26 or 27.
Siddhartha explained that Chandrayaan-3 carries sufficient fuel to allow delays in landing in case conditions are not favourable.
With Russia's Luna-25 crashing on to the Moon's surface, Chandrayaan-3's successful landing on the Moon's south pole would make India the first country to softly land a spacecraft on the lunar south pole, and the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, after the United States, the Soviet Union, and China. India is attemptong to land on the lunar south pole because the region is believed to be a treasure trove of scientific secrets and cosmic mysteries.