Chandrayaan-3 Launches Today: 10 Interesting Facts About ISRO's Third Moon Mission

Chandrayaan-3 will begin its voyage towards the Moon from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, carried by ISRO's largest and most powerful rocket, the Launch Vehicle Mark III.

India aims to softly land Chandrayaan-3's lander on the Moon's south pole. If accomplished, India will become the fourth nation to successfully complete the soft landing of a spacecraft on Earth's natural satellite, and the first country to land a spacecraft on the Moon's south pole. 

Source : ISRO

Chandrayaan-3, the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO's) third lunar exploration mission, is scheduled for launch on Friday, July 14, 2023, at 2:35 pm IST. Chandrayaan-3 will begin its voyage towards the Moon from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. ISRO's largest and most powerful rocket, the Launch Vehicle Mark III (LVM3), also called the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III), will carry Chandrayaan-3 to space. 

India aims to softly land Chandrayaan-3's lander on the Moon's south pole. If this mission is accomplished, India will become the fourth nation to successfully complete the soft landing of a spacecraft on Earth's natural satellite. Also, India will become the first country in the world to land a spacecraft on the Moon's south pole. 

Here are 10 interesting facts about Chandrayaan-3. 

1. Chandrayaan-3 is also known as the LVM3-M4 mission because it is the fourth operational mission of LVM3. 

2. Chandrayaan-3 consists of a lander, a rover and a propulsion module. The objectives of the mission are to demonstrate soft landing on the lunar surface, and roving on the lunar terrain, conduct in-situ scientific experiments, and develop and demonstrate new technologies required for interplanetary missions. 

3. The rover is fitted inside the lander, and together, they are called the lander module. The propulsion module will carry the lander module to a 100-kilometre circular lunar orbit. After this, the propulsion module and the lander module will separate. 

4. Chandrayaan-3 has three phases: the Earth-centric phase, the lunar transfer phase, and the Moon-centric phase. 

The Earth-centric phase, or Phase-1, involves the pre-launch phase; the launch and ascent phase; and the Earth-bound manoeuvre phase, which will help the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft change its directions. 

The lunar transfer phase includes the transfer trajectory phase, as part of which Chandrayaan-3 will choose the path that will lead it towards the lunar orbit. 

The Moon-centric phase involves all the steps from lunar orbit insertion to landing. 

ALSO CHECK | Chandrayaan-3 Launch Countdown Live Updates

5. The propulsion module is equipped with a payload called Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth (SHAPE). The function of SHAPE is to study the spectral and polarimetric measurements of Earth from lunar orbit. This means that SHAPE will analyse the spectro-polarimetric signatures of Earth. 

According to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Observatory, spectro-polarimetry is a technique which involves the polarisation of light by splitting the incoming light into its constituent colours, and then analysing the polarisation of each colour individually.

Understanding the spectro-polarimetric signatures of Earth can help scientists analyse the reflected light from exoplanets and determine whether they would qualify for habitability.

6. The lunar orbit insertion will occur in an elliptical orbit whose size is 170 × 36,500 square kilometres. After this, Chandrayaan-3 will be separated from the launch vehicle. The propulsion module will carry the lander module to a lunar circular orbit whose size is 100 × 100 square kilometres. 

The mission life of the propulsion module is three to six months. It weighs 2,148 kilograms, and has a power generation capacity of 758 Watts. 

7. The lander's payloads are Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE), Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA), Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) Rover, and Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA). 

ChasTE will carry out measurements of thermal properties such as thermal conductivity and temperature of elements on the lunar surface near the south pole; ILSA will measure the seismicity around the landing site and describe the structure of the lunar crust and mantle; and RAMBHA will study the gas and plasma environment.

The lander module has a mass of 1,752 kilograms, and a mission life of one lunar day, which is equivalent to 14 Earth days. It has a power generation capacity of 738 Watts. 

8. The rover is equipped with two payloads, which are the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS). 

APXS will help determine the elemental composition of the lunar soil and rocks around the landing site. The elements to be studied include magnesium, aluminium, silicon, potassium, calcium, titanium and iron. 

LIBS will conduct qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis in order to infer the chemical and mineralogical composition of the lunar surface.

The rover has a mass of 26 kilograms, a mission life of one lunar day, and a power generation capacity of 50 Watts. 

9. LVM3-M4 has a height of 43.5 metres, a lift-off mass of 642 tonnes, two strap-on motors, a payload fairing, and two stages. The two stages are: L110 and C25. The L110 stage will carry a liquid fuel, and the C25 stage will carry a cryogenic fuel. The strap-on motors carry solid fuel, and are solid rocket boosters. 

10. The lander will touch down on the lunar surface with a horizontal velocity of less than 0.5 metre per second, a vertical velocity of less than two metres per second, and a slope less than 120 degrees.