Chandrayaan-3 Landing Could Be Delayed By '3-4 Days' If Conditions Are Unfavourable

Chandrayaan-3's landing might be delayed by “three to four days” if conditions are unfavourable, a senior scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) told ABP Live.

Chandrayaan-3, which is scheduled to land on the Moon on August 23, 2023, might experience a delay in landing. Chandrayaan-3's landing might be delayed by “three to four days” if conditions are unfavourable, a senior scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) told ABP Live. If the landing is delayed, the scientist added, Chandrayaan-3 may operate on the Moon for about 10 days, instead of 14 Earth days. This means that if Chandrayaan-3's landing is delayed, the spacecraft may touch down on the lunar south pole on August 26 or 27.

"Landing on the designated date is not the priority, safe landing is. What happened to Luna 25? That's the best example. If you have a safe manoeuvre and landing, the world will still be yours," said K. Siddhartha, Earth Scientist at ISRO and a strategic thinker. He explained that Chandrayaan-3 carries sufficient fuel to allow delays in landing in case conditions are not favourable.

However, he said that a very complex manoeuvre will be involved during the landing of Chandrayaan-3. “The manoeuvring will become very complex with any delay.”

Siddhartha explained that the tilt and the thrust are important. "So, if you apply a force greater than the amount required, Chandrayaan-3 might get toppled. If you apply a small amount of force, there is a danger of Chandrayaan-3 hitting the lunar surface at the wrong place. Chandrayaan-3 will be landing somewhere between Manzinus C and Simpelius N craters.”

Explaining if a delay in landing will impact the spacecraft in any way because launch and landing dates are decided based on mathematical calculations, Siddhartha said, "Now, Chandrayaan-3 is out of those mathematical calculations. Hence, there will be no difficulty if the landing is delayed."

Nitesh M Desai, director of Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO, had also said that Chandrayaan-3's landing may be postponed to August 27 if the lander module conditions appear unfavourable. He told news agency ANI that the health of the lander module and the conditions on the Moon will determine the landing date and time. 

However, the director said that no problem is expected to occur, and landing is most likely to take place on August 23, as planned.

If Chandrayaan-3 successfully lands on the Moon's south pole, India will become 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. Most lunar missions attempt landings on the lunar south pole because the region is a treasure trove of scientific secrets and cosmic mysteries.

Since the lunar south pole is similar to Earth’s diversity, exploring it will allow scientists to obtain insights into how the Earth was billions of years ago, and if it will be possible to colonise the Moon in the future.

Not only will a successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the lunar south pole mark a historic moment for India, but will also allow the spacecraft to perform experiments on the ice and explore how these reserves could be used to extract water, oxygen and fuel for future crewed missions to the Moon.