essay on india's moon mission

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Chandrayaan 3 Essay in English for School Students

Essay on chandrayaan 3 for school students: check here 100, 200 words essay on india's latest moon mission chandrayaan 3. students can also use this as a short speech for school assemblies or speech competitions. they, can also check the latest chandrayaan 3 updates to easily edit elements and elongate their essay as per their requirement..

Chandrayaan 3 Essay and Short Speech in English for School Students: Chandrayaan 3 was a gigantic success for India and now its Pragyaan rover has gone to sleep. To commemorate Chandrayaan 3 triumph and the soft landing of Vikram lander on the moon, National Space Day will be celebrated on August 23 every year as announced by PM Modi. Every Indian is proud of the soft landing of Chandrayaan 3 on the moon! In the latest update by ISRO, the propulsion module of Chandrayaan 3 has been brought back into the Earth's orbit.

As per ISRO's other update, t he Rover had completed its assignments and was parked and set into Sleep mode. The Chandrayaan 3 Rover Pragyaan had ramped down from the Lander a while after its landing on August 23rd. Pragyan rover was continuously walking on the moon and sending various details to the ISRO centre.

Related:  Chandrayaan 3: Will Pragyan Rover Wake Up Again? ALL You Need To Know 

In the vast space of our universe, where mythology and science come together so often, Chandrayaan-3 shines brightly as a symbol of India’s astral hope and exploration. It shows India's strong determination to uncover the moon's mysteries. With careful planning and robust designs, Chandrayaan-3 has gotten us closer to landing on the moon and discovering its hidden secrets. In this article, we have provided an essay on Chandrayaan in about 100 and 200 words. Students can easily refer to this essay and come up with their own modifications and tweaks in the essay body. 

Chandrayaan 3 Essay in English

Chandrayaan-3: india's latest lunar mission, chandrayaan 3 details, latest updates and information about chandrayaan 3.

• January 22, 2024

NASA Spacecraft Pings India’s Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon:

• September 22, 2023

Chandrayaan-3 Mission: Efforts have been made to establish communication with the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover to ascertain their wake-up condition. As of now, no signals have been received from them. Efforts to establish contact will continue. — ISRO (@isro) September 22, 2023

• September 5, 2023

. @NASA 's LRO spacecraft recently imaged the Chandrayaan-3 lander on the Moon’s surface. The ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) Chandrayaan-3 touched down on Aug. 23, 2023, about 600 kilometers from the Moon’s South Pole. MORE >> https://t.co/phmOblRlGO pic.twitter.com/CyhFrnvTjT — NASA Marshall (@NASA_Marshall) September 5, 2023

• September 2, 2023

Chandrayaan-3 Mission: The Rover completed its assignments. It is now safely parked and set into Sleep mode. APXS and LIBS payloads are turned off. Data from these payloads is transmitted to the Earth via the Lander. Currently, the battery is fully charged. The solar panel is… — ISRO (@isro) September 2, 2023

Chandrayaan-3 Mission: In-situ scientific experiments continue ..... Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) instrument onboard the Rover unambiguously confirms the presence of Sulphur (S) in the lunar surface near the south pole, through first-ever in-situ measurements.… pic.twitter.com/vDQmByWcSL — ISRO (@isro) August 29, 2023

• August 26, 2023: National Space Day on August 23rd, Announced by PM Modi to mark the success of Chandrayaan 3 on the moon.
• Chandrayaan 3 touchdown point on the moon will now be known as Shivshakti.
• Chandrayaan 2 touchdown point on the moon's surface will now be known as Tiranga Point.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission: Here are the first observations from the ChaSTE payload onboard Vikram Lander. ChaSTE (Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment) measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole, to understand the thermal behaviour of the moon's… pic.twitter.com/VZ1cjWHTnd — ISRO (@isro) August 27, 2023

Chandrayaan-3 Mission: All planned Rover movements have been verified. The Rover has successfully traversed a distance of about 8 meters. Rover payloads LIBS and APXS are turned ON. All payloads on the propulsion module, lander module, and rover are performing nominally.… — ISRO (@isro) August 25, 2023

Chandrayaan-3 Mission: Chandrayaan-3 ROVER: Made in India 🇮🇳 Made for the MOON🌖! The Ch-3 Rover ramped down from the Lander and India took a walk on the moon ! More updates soon. #Chandrayaan_3 #Ch3 — ISRO (@isro) August 24, 2023

• August 23, 2023: India's lunar mission Chandrayaan 3 has successfully landed on the south pole of the moon.
• August 20, 2023: The Lander Module is in 25 km x 134 km orbit. Powered descent is expected to commence on August 23, 2023, around 1745 Hrs. IST
• August 19, 2023: The Lander Module is in 113 km x 157 km orbit around the moon. Second de-boosting is planned for August 20, 2023
• August 17, 2023: Lander Module is successfully separated from the Propulsion Module. Deboosting planned for August 18, 2023
• August 16, 2023: The spacecraft is in an orbit of 153 km x 163 km after the firing on August 16, 2023
• August 14, 2023: The mission is in the orbit circularisation phase. The spacecraft is in 151 km x 179 km orbit
• August 09, 2023: Chandrayaan-3's orbit is reduced to 174 km x 1437 km following a manoeuvre performed on August 9, 2023
• July 06, 2023: The launch is scheduled for July 14, 2023, at 14:35 Hrs. IST from the Second Launch Pad, SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota

Chandrayaan History - Chandrayaan 1, 2 and 3

Is chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on moon.

Yes, Chandrayaan 3 has successfully made a successful landing on the Southern pole of the Moon.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission: 'India🇮🇳, I reached my destination and you too!' : Chandrayaan-3 Chandrayaan-3 has successfully soft-landed on the moon 🌖!. Congratulations, India🇮🇳! #Chandrayaan_3 #Ch3 — ISRO (@isro) August 23, 2023

Chandrayaan 3 Photos and Videos

Chandrayaan-3 Mission: 🔍What's new here? Pragyan rover roams around Shiv Shakti Point in pursuit of lunar secrets at the South Pole 🌗! pic.twitter.com/1g5gQsgrjM — ISRO (@isro) August 26, 2023

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• Chandrayaan 2 Mission India UPSC Notes

Chandrayaan 2 Mission Essay [UPSC Notes GS III]

Chandrayaan Mission was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and was India’s first mission to the moon. The spacecraft was launched on 22nd October 2008 by a modified version of the PSLV C-11 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The vehicle was successfully inserted into lunar orbit on 8 November 2008.

ISRO is planning mission Chandrayaan-3 in late 2021 or early 2022. India launched Chandrayaan-2, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota on 22nd July 2019.

Chandrayaan Mission is an important topic of the UPSC Syllabus . This article is an essay on Chandrayaan 2 and Chandrayaan 1 (India’s lunar mission).

What is Chandrayaan 1?

In 1999, the Indian Academy of Sciences initiated an idea of undertaking an Indian scientific mission to Moon. This initiative was followed by a discussion with the Astronautical Society of India in 2000. Based on the recommendations, a National Lunar Mission Task Force was constituted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) . Thereafter, India’s first lunar mission Chandrayaan – 1 was launched on 22nd October 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

Objectives of Chandrayaan 1:

• To perform high-resolution remote sensing of the moon’s surface.
• To provide a three-dimensional atlas of the Moon (near and far side).
• To conduct chemical and mineralogical studies for mapping of the entire lunar surface.
• To test the impact of a sub-satellite on the lunar surface for its future soft-landing missions.

The mission successfully detected the presence of titanium and calcium along with the accurate measurements of iron, aluminium and magnesium on the moon. The Chandrayaan Mission 1 ended on 28 August 2009 after the communications to the probe were suddenly lost. The probe lasted for 312 days. The estimated cost of this project cost was Rs.386 Crore or US$60 million.

Essay on Chandrayaan 2

Chandrayaan – 2 is the second lunar mission of India after the success of Chandrayaan 1. This mission was conducted for topographical researches and mineralogical studies to have a better understanding of the Moon’s origin and evolution. Chandrayaan 2 Mission was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space on July 22, 2019, by GSLV Mk III-M1 . The main aim of Chandrayaan 2 was to trace the location and abundance of lunar water on the moon’s surface.

Highlights of Chandrayaan 2

• Chandrayaan 2 fostered the findings of Chandrayaan 1 as reported by the ISRO.
• The mission targeted the “South Polar region” of the Moon which was completely unexplored.
• The mission focused on the extensive mapping of the lunar surface for studying variations in its composition and tracing the Moon’s origin and evolution.
• Chandrayaan 2 was considered as a challenging mission as the South Polar Region of the Moon was totally unexplored by any space agency before.

Components of Chandrayaan – 2: Launch Vehicle

• S200 solid rocket booster
• L110 liquid state
• C25 Upper stage

The Chandrayaan-2 mission consisted of three main modules:

• lunar orbiter
• Vikram lander (named after Vikram Sarabhai, the late father of India’s space program)
• lunar rover named Pragyan

All of the above parts were developed in India.

The orbiter, lander and rover collectively carried 14 scientific payloads, including a Laser Retro Reflector Array from NASA that provided precise measurements of the distance between the Moon and the Earth. Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter shall continue its mission for around a year.

The Indian space programme form a part of the science and technology and current affairs segments of the UPSC syllabus and is an important topic for the UPSC exam. Aspirants can refer to the UPSC Mains Syllabus at the linked article.

Significance of Chandrayaan 2

In all the space missions, no country has ever attempted to land a spacecraft in the polar regions of the moon. This gave India a lead in space exploration on an international level.

• Due to the moon’s axis, few regions on the South Pole always remains dark especially the craters and have higher chances of containing water.
• The craters might have never received sunlight because it at very low angles in the Polar Regions and thus, increasing the chances of presence of ice on such surfaces.
• The lunar surface area at the south pole of the Moon that remains in shadow is much larger than the North Pole thus making moon’s South Pole interesting. This also increases the probability of the existence of water in permanently shadowed areas around it.
• The second de-orbiting manoeuvre for Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was performed successfully today on September 04, 2019, beginning at 0342 hrs IST as planned, using the onboard propulsion system. The duration of the manoeuvre was 9 seconds.
• On October 14, 2019, Chandrayaan-2 detected the presence of Argon-40 in the lunar exosphere.
• On July 30th, 2020 Chandrayaan-2 imaged the Sarabhai Crater located on the north-east quadrant of the moon

Chandrayaan-2 Mission: Updates

• The orbital insertion was achieved on 20th August 2019. The Orbiter has a life duration of 7 years and will continue its mission.
• Vikram Lander had a mission life of 14 days. The landing on the moon’s surface was planned on 7th September 2019. However, the landing failed at the final stages. Vikram lander crash-landed on the moon’s surface as the velocity was higher than desired velocity (2 m/s) and the Failure Analysis Committee of ISRO concluded that a software glitch was the cause of the failure.
• Pragyan Rover was planned for a duration of around 14 days. As the landing failed, the rover could not be deployed on the moon’s surface.

(ISRO) has released the data from the country’s second mission to the Moon, the Chandrayaan-2, for the general public.

• The Chandrayaan-2 data is required to be in the Planetary Data System-4 (PDS4) standard, and is required to be peer reviewed scientifically and technically before acceptance as PDS archives and declared ready for sharing with the global scientific community and the general public.
• ISSDC is the nodal centre of planetary data archive for the planetary missions of ISRO.
• All experiments have been performing well and the data received suggests excellent capability to deliver on the pre-launch promises.
• ISDA is the long-term archive for ISRO planetary missions.

Chandrayaan 2 – UPSC Notes:-  Download PDF Here

Aspirants of the UPSC exam are advised to check other relevant topics given below for the comprehensive preparation of their upcoming examinations-

Aspirants can check BYJU’S UPSC Notes page for free GS1, GS2, and GS 3 notes.

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Chandrayaan-3: A complete guide to India's third mission to the moon

A rover and lander will together explore the moon's surface.

Chandrayaan-3 mission goals

Chandrayaan-3 science payloads, past chandrayaan missions, lessons learned from failed chandrayaan-2, additional resources.

Chandrayaan-3 is India's next moon mission.

The spacecraft launched to the moon on July 14, 2023, at 5:05 a.m. EDT (0905 GMT or 2:35 p.m. local time July 14) from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India atop the medium-lift Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) rocket.

Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed near the moon's south pole on Aug. 23, 2023, at 8:33 a.m. ET (1233 GMT or 6:03 p.m. India Standard Time). 

The mission is managed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). ISRO's roots go back to the beginning of space exploration, as a predecessor agency was set up in 1962 and its first rocket launch was in 1963. ISRO itself was established in 1969.

In June 2023, shortly before the scheduled Chandrayaan-3 launch, India also signed on to the NASA-led Artemis Accords aiming for peaceful human and robotic exploration of the moon. While the immediate benefits of the accords accrue to human spaceflight, according to the White House , the data from Chandrayaan-3 may be useful for future Artemis human landings too.

Related: Every mission to the moon

Chandrayaan-3 costs roughly $77 million USD, according to the Times of India .

The three main objectives of Chandrayaan-3 are to land safely on the surface, to demonstrate rover operations and to perform scientific experiments on site, according to the official website . 

The mission called for a propulsion module to ferry the Chandrayaan-3' Vikram ("valor") lander and the solar-powered rover named Pragyan (Sanskrit for "wisdom") rover together to the south pole of the moon, according to NASA . 

The module then entered lunar orbit and maneuvered into a roughly circular path about 60 miles (100 km) above the surface. Then the lander separated from the module and aimed for a soft landing on the surface, achieving this on Aug. 23, 2023.

The lander and rover will collect science on the surface for 14 Earth days (a single day on the moon), while the propulsion module will gaze at our planet for its own science experiment.

The spacecraft package (rover, lander and propulsion module) includes "advanced technologies" to meet the mission objectives, ISRO says. Examples include hazard detection and avoidance on the rover, a landing leg mechanism to aim for a soft touchdown, and altimeters and velocity instruments to estimate altitude and speed above the moon.

ISRO has performed several technology tests to simulate lunar conditions, the agency emphasized, focusing on matters such as soaking instruments in cold temperatures similar to the moon or doing a lander leg test on a simulated surface under different landing conditions.

Related: ISRO: The Indian Space Research Organization

Science on the Chandrayaan-3 mission is split between the lander, the rover and the propulsion module payload.

"The lander is ... generally box-shaped, with four landing legs and four landing thrusters," NASA writes of the design . Its approximate 3,900-pound (1,752-kilogram) mass will include 57 pounds (26 kgs) for the rover. 

The lander includes:

• Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) to measure thermal conductivity and temperature on the surface;
• Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) to detect moonquakes;
• Langmuir Probe to estimate the density and variation of plasma, or superheated gas, in the moon's environment; 
• A Laser Retroreflector Array (from NASA) to measure distances using laser ranging..

The rover "is a rectangular chassis mounted on a six-wheel rocker-bogie wheel drive assembly," NASA added. The rover sends its communications to Earth through the lander. Rover instruments include:

• Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) to look for elements in the lunar soil and rocks;
• Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) to examine the chemical and elemental composition of the lunar surface.

The propulsion module "is a box-like structure with one large solar panel mounted on one side and a large cylinder on top ... that acts as a mounting structure for the lander," NASA says. The propulsion module is more than 2.2 tons (2 tonnes in mass.)

The module's single experiment is the Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) investigation that will assist with exoplanet searches. The experiment will "gather data on the polarization of light reflected by Earth so that researchers can look for other planets with similar signatures," according to Nature .

Chandrayaan-1 was India's first mission to the moon. It launched Oct. 22, 2008 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India, aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket. It achieved lunar orbit on Nov. 8. It released a Moon Impact Probe on Nov. 14 that deliberately crashed into the moon later that day. 

Chandrayaan-1 is best known for finding evidence of water ice on the moon. NASA made the announcement on September 2009, based on data collected by the agency's Moon Mineralogy Mapper. The instrument found evidence of hydroxyl (a form of water, hydrogen and oxygen) in the moon's regolith or dust. 

The Moon Impact Probe also found water's signature before impacting the surface, providing a separate set of data. More confirmations came from the Cassini  spacecraft and the Deep Impact  spacecraft's extended EPOXI mission.

Chandrayaan-2 was India's second mission to the moon. It launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India, aboard a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket on July 22, 2019. It made it to lunar orbit on Aug. 19, 2019.

On Sept. 6, Chandrayaan-2 released the Vikram moon lander , but mission officials lost contact with it as it was just 1.3 miles (2.1 km) above the surface. Although the lander was lost, the orbiter continues to work well. It carries eight different instruments and continues to send back high-definition imagery of the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3 will build upon the "lessons learned" from the unsuccessful landing that took place during Chandrayaan-2, ISRO told the Business Standard .

"With optimized payload configurations, improved lander capabilities, and utilizing existing (spacecraft) resources, the mission is expected to address past challenges," the Business Standard wrote of ISRO's approach to Chandrayaan-3.

For example, Chandrayaan-3 will simplify its mission design to not include an orbiter. The predecessor mission, Chandrayaan-2, will therefore handle all communications to Earth from the propulsion module, the rover and the lander.

The propulsion module ferrying Chandraayan-3 to the moon will also only include a single science instrument, as opposed to Chandrayaan-2's orbiter which carried nine. This will simplify the amount of work the propulsion module performs, allowing engineers to focus on its crucial role in bringing the rover and lander to the moon.

The lander of Chandraayan-3 also includes key upgrades. ISRO stated it will have two "lander hazard detection and avoidance cameras" meant to help the lander avoid obstacles on the surface during the descent. Chandrayaan-2 only carried one such camera, and Chandrayaan-3's cameras aim to be more robust than the predecessor mission.

Read more about Chandraayan-3 on the official ISRO website . NASA has technical details about the mission as well.

Bibliography

The Business Standard. (2023, July 7). "Chandrayaan-3: What is it, and how does it improve on its predecessor?" https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/chandrayaan-3-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-improve-on-its-predecessor-123070700477_1.html

Padma, T.V. (2023, July 7). "India shoots for the moon with Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander." Nature . https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02217-0

The White House. (2023, June 22.) "Republic of India official state visit to the United States." https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/22/fact-sheet-republic-of-india-official-state-visit-to-the-united-states/

Times of India. (2023, July 6). "Chandrayaan-3 launch on July 14; August 23-24 preferred landing dates." http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/101547465.cms

Times of India. (2020, Jan. 2.) "Chandrayaan-3 to cost Rs 615 crore, launch could stretch to 2021." https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/chandrayaan-3-to-cost-rs-615-crore-launch-could-stretch-to-2021/articleshow/73055941.cms

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Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, " Why Am I Taller ?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace

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EFSAS Commentary

Chandrayaan-3’s moon landing: a remarkable achievement that showcases india’s spirit, capabilities and resilience.

In a historic moment that drew cheers from the millions of watchers of its live telecast around the country, India on 23 August became the first nation to successfully land a spacecraft near the south pole of the Moon. Tom Acres, technology reporter of Sky News , described the event as a landmark achievement for not just India’s space programme, but also humanity’s efforts to explore the cosmos. Even though the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States (US) did successfully put humans on the Moon during the Apollo Programme more than 50 years ago, the touchdown of India’s robotic spacecraft nevertheless marks a massive achievement and pays tribute to the economic, scientific and technological progress that India has made in the just 75 years since it was left a broken, drained, impoverished and struggling nation by its colonial British rulers. The landing also demonstrated India’s continued perseverance and tenacity in achieving difficult missions. Such was the scale of the feat in the eyes of most South Asians that even the Pakistani daily Dawn commented on how Chandrayaan-3 had captivated public attention since its launch nearly six weeks ago, and noted that “India is steadily matching the achievements of established spacefaring nations” .

Chandrayaan-3 (Moon craft-3) launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota Range in southern India on 14 July on a mission to demonstrate new technologies and achieve India’s first soft landing on another celestial body. The spacecraft arrived in lunar orbit on 5 August, and on 17 August the lander module separated from the propulsion module and soon began its descent to the surface of the Moon. On 23 August, after a nail-biting wait, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed that Chandrayaan-3’s lander had successfully touched down on the Moon’s southern polar region, as planned. Chandrayaan-3 took much longer to reach the Moon than the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s as India used rockets that were much less powerful than the US did back then. Instead, Chandrayaan-3 orbited the Earth several times to gain speed before embarking on its month-long lunar trajectory. Mission control erupted in celebration as it was announced that the lander module had landed “safely and softly” .

More celebrations followed when Pragyan — Wisdom in Sanskrit — rolled out of the lander on 24 August. During its mission on the surface of the Moon, which will last for one lunar day (14 days on Earth), the rover will carry out a number of scientific experiments. It will gather rock samples, images, and data, and will run a series of experiments to determine the mineral composition of the lunar surface. The six-wheeled lander and rover module of Chandrayaan-3 is configured with payloads that will provide data to the scientific community on the properties of lunar soil and rocks, including chemical and elemental compositions.

Only three nations – the US, China, and the erstwhile Soviet Union (USSR) – have ever touched down on the Moon, but no country had thus far successfully made it to the south pole. As Tom Acres pointed out, the south pole is a long way from the region of the Moon targeted by most previous missions, including the crewed Apollo landings. The south pole has very rough terrain, with deep trenches and plenty of craters, making landing on it a challenging task. T.V. Padma, writing in the Nature journal, explained the testing conditions Chandrayaan-3 overcame by recalling that India’s 2019 Chandrayaan-2 mission had succeeded in launching an orbiter with eight functioning instruments, but the lander carrying the Moon rover crashed into the lunar surface in the final moments of landing. She wrote, “ISRO learnt from that failure and made several design changes to the lander-rover portion of the mission. These include a new laser sensor to measure the real-time velocity of the spacecraft relative to the Moon, algorithms to handle unanticipated deviations in propulsion or trajectory and better judge the landing terrain, bigger and more solar panels, more fuel, a heavier lander equipped with four sturdier legs to handle a faster landing velocity. The craft also targeted a larger landing area that was 4 kilometres by 2.4 kilometres, compared with a 0.5 km by 0.5 km region for the previous mission” .

Marc Norman, planetary geochemist at the Australian National University in Canberra, underlined that landing at the Moon’s south pole is difficult because it involves positioning the spacecraft at a different angle from previous landings. In particular, it requires putting the spacecraft into a polar orbit that is at right angles to the Moon’s orbit. Norman said, “This requires additional energy to move the spacecraft into an ‘unnatural’ orbit, which introduces uncertainties on critical aspects such as velocity and location of the spacecraft” . He added that lack of detailed data on the region’s gravity and surface characteristics compounded the problem. He elaborated by saying that “For example, if the spacecraft lands in a crater, on a slope, or the leg of the lander catches on a boulder, the mission could be compromised” .

Geologist Saumitra Mukherjee of the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, whose team analysed images sent by India’s first lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 in 2008, pointed out that Moon quakes in the landing area added to the complexity. Torin Clark, an aerospace engineer at University of Colorado Boulder, believes that poor lighting from the Sun was another challenge. He said, “Some areas are completely in the dark, others are in the light, but with extreme sun angles, essentially blocking out any terrain features. This is in contrast to the Apollo landings, where the landing sites and timing were specifically chosen to ensure quality lighting of the lunar terrain” .

The importance of landing at the Moon’s south pole lies in the fact that it is believed that the pole’s shadowed craters contain water ice that could support a future base on the Moon, allowing astronauts and scientists to work there for extended periods. Space agencies, including NASA, have detected frozen water in the south pole craters before, but no country had ever actually ventured into the region. If water ice is really there, it could be used for fuel, oxygen, and drinking water, and provide insight into past lunar volcanoes and the origins of our own oceans. Dr. Ian Whittaker, a space physics expert at Nottingham Trent University, said: “The successful landing means the rover and station should provide us with a more accurate determination of lunar crust composition. Particularly around the lunar south pole which is a suggested location for a lunar base due to the ability to have constant sunlight for power. The instruments onboard the rover will be useful for if we want to build structures out of local material” . ISRO said that “the lunar south pole is of special interest because parts of it remain permanently in shadow, raising the possibility of sampling Moon ice for the first time. Moreover, the large craters near the lunar south pole might contain clues to the composition of the early Solar System” .

The successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 sparked huge celebrations across India. Reactions to achievement were buoyant. Sreedhara Panicker Somanath, chairman of ISRO, announced it by exclaiming, “We have achieved soft landing on the Moon. India is on the Moon” . Somnath later told a press briefing that India would next attempt a manned lunar mission, and that the landing “gives confidence to configure missions to go to the Moon, Mars, Venus, maybe even asteroids” . Chandrayaan-3’s success comes about a week before ISRO’s next major mission — its first to study the Sun — which is scheduled to launch in the first week of September.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking by video link from South Africa where he is attending a BRICS summit, said that India was entering a historically auspicious moment. Modi said, “My dear family, when we see history being made in front of us, it makes our life blessed. This moment is the announcement of an advanced India. These moments are of invention and phenomenal growth. … We had taken a pledge on Earth and realized it on the Moon. This success belongs to all of humanity and it will help more missions by other countries in the future” .

India’s opposition parties joined the celebrations and extended congratulations. The President of India’s Congress Party and leader of the opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said that the success of Chandrayaan-3 was the “collective success of every Indian” . Kharge added, “We are deeply indebted to the remarkable hard work, unparalleled ingenuity and unflinching dedication of our scientists, space engineers, researchers and everyone involved in making this mission a triumph for India. Today, through the Chandrayaan-3, we have displayed our scientific prowess to the world” .

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sought to bring in a historical perspective when he wrote on social media that “Chandrayaan-3’s soft landing on the uncharted lunar South Pole is the result of decades of tremendous ingenuity and hard work by our scientific community. Since 1962, India’s space programme has continued to scale new heights and inspire generations of young dreamers” .

As Canada-based writer and journalist Anusuya Datta noted in spacenews.com , “ISRO’s history is characterized by resilience, innovation, and collaboration. Established in 1969, ISRO has maintained a robust remote sensing program since 1988, offering valuable Earth Observation data in various spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions through a range of instruments. Many do not know that its PAN cameras (aboard IRS-1C) were the highest-resolution civilian cameras in the world until the launch of U.S.-based DigitalGlobe’s Ikonos satellite in 1999. ISRO’s technological prowess garnered global attention in 2013 with the success of the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also known as Mangalyaan. ISRO has launched 124 of its own spacecraft, including three to the Moon and one to Mars; and has facilitated the launch of 424 satellites from other countries. Its old workhorse PSLV is a prime choice for rideshare services, notable for deploying 104 satellites in a single launch in 2017, a world record until SpaceX’s Transporter-1 mission surpassed it in 2021. In 2018, ISRO completed its own navigation system, NavIC, positioning itself among the elite club of nations (U.S., Russia, China, the European Union, and partly Japan) with this capability. The Chandrayaan missions only signify the continuation of this legacy” .

International reactions were equally upbeat and encouraging. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated ISRO on the landing and said, “And congratulations to India on being the 4th country to successfully soft-land a spacecraft on the Moon. We’re glad to be your partner on this mission!” The US Department of State’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs said that Chandrayaan-3 success would “power” the future. It said on social media, “Your success will power the imagination and light the future of people around the world” . India has aligned itself with the US by signing an agreement on space exploration known as the Artemis Accords, a legal framework that governs activity in space. So far, nearly 30 countries have signed, allowing them to partner with the US on space missions and mandating that they adhere to a set of rules, such as publicly sharing scientific discoveries and creating “safety zones” where nations could work undisturbed on the lunar surface.

The director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher, called the landing of Chandrayaan-3 an “incredible” event. “What a way to demonstrate new technologies and achieve India’s first soft landing on another celestial body” , he said, adding “Well done. I am thoroughly impressed” . Rolf Densing, Director of Operations at ESA’s operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany said, “Congratulations ISRO on this historic landing. ESA is proud to support the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Our ground stations are a core element of ESA’s support to its international partners, and I am pleased that with this activity, we are further strengthening ESA’s relationship with ISRO and with India. I look forward to supporting further pioneering ISRO missions, such as Aditya-L1, in the future” . ESA is providing deep space communication support to the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Russia’s space agency Roskosmos joined in to hail India for the Moon landing. It said in a post on its Telegram channel: “Roskosmos congratulates Indian colleagues on the successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. Exploration of the Moon is important for all mankind. In the future it may become a platform for deep space exploration” .

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa was among several international leaders who congratulated India on the historic Moon landing. “This for us, as the BRICS family, is a momentous occasion and we rejoice with you. We join you in the joy of this great achievement” , he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his “heartfelt congratulations” to India for an “impressive” achievement. He said that “This is a big step forward in space exploration and, of course, a testament to the impressive progress made by India in the field of science and technology” . Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, “India continues to make history” .

The implications of India’s impressive achievement with Chandrayaan-3 are wide. Dr. Ian Whittaker described it thus: “It is amazing to see that India have managed a soft lunar landing on only their second attempt. It indicates great things for future missions in the Chandrayaan series, and means they become a bigger player on cooperative missions in the future. Indian schoolchildren will have all watched the landing in schools. It is really seeing science in action and will inspire a new generation of space scientists and researchers” .

Former NASA official Mike Gold, who is currently the Chief Growth Officer of Redwire Space, believes that Chandrayaan-3’s success is a victory of Indian innovation, human capital and the capabilities that will take India further. He noted that what made the success of Chandrayaan-3 amazing was the “relatively little amount of resources that India has used” . Gold went on to say that “This mission will gather invaluable data to help drive our understanding of the Moon, our ability to utilise resources and ultimately where we’re going to establish settlements on the Moon” .  

Anusuya Datta feels that Chandrayaan-3’s success holds potential significance for India’s aspirations of establishing a sustained human presence on the Moon. Under the Artemis Accords, ISRO can lay claim to the landing area for mining rights. Further, a successful Chandrayaan-3 mission will catalyze innovative scientific research, facilitating groundbreaking experiments that contribute to lunar understanding, including its composition, geology, and resource potential. She opined that at the heart of India’s space journey lay a pivotal lesson in self-reliance. ISRO serves as a living testament to the remarkable potential of Indian scientists in conquering challenges. Despite bureaucratic entanglements, political intricacies, and limited resources, ISRO has shattered stereotypes, emerging as a worthy rival to the elite space club.

Kavya Karampuri, a mission systems engineer at Bengaluru-based KaleidEO that specializes in Earth-observation-based space data analytics, is of the view that India’s success will instill confidence in the technological competence of India’s space industry. It would attract global investments in the Indian private space sector, foster international collaboration, and innovation across universities, laboratories, start-ups, and research communities in India.

India’s achievement on the Moon comes at a time when its stock on earth is also rising rapidly. Nuclear-armed India became the world’s fifth-largest economy last year, and as The Guardian noted, Modi’s nationalist government is eager to showcase the country’s rising standing as a technology and space powerhouse. It added, “A successful Moon mission dovetails with Modi’s image of an ascendant India asserting its place among the global elite and would help bolster his popularity ahead of a crucial general election next year” .

The real significance of India’s lunar achievement lies in the fact that when Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon in July 1969, poverty-stricken India was struggling with the consequences of a cruel and exploitative colonial past and ISRO had not even been established; yet, just 50-odd years later, the indomitable spirit, the resilience, and the quest for scientific knowledge and technological prowess of the Indian people has got them where very few have dared venture – as far away as the Moon.  

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The significance of India’s successful landing on the moon’s south pole

Amna Nawaz Amna Nawaz

Miles O'Brien Miles O'Brien

Mary Fecteau Mary Fecteau

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It was a historic day for India as it became the fourth country to land on the moon. It comes after a failed attempt in 2019 and just days behind a failed Russian lunar landing. Prime Minister Modi watched alongside the team at the Indian Space Research Organization as the Chandrayaan-3 touched down in the moon’s south polar region. Amna Nawaz and Miles O'Brien discussed the monumental moment.

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Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

Amna Nawaz:

It's been an historic day for India, as it became the fourth country to land on the moon, after a failed attempt in 2019 and just days after a failed Russian lunar landing.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi watched alongside the team at the Indian Space Research Organization as the Chandrayaan-3 touched down in the moon's south polar region.

Narendra Modi, Indian Prime Minister:

This success belongs to all of humanity. I'm confident that all countries in the world, including those from the global South, are capable of achieving such feats.

Joining me now to discuss this monumental moment is science correspondent Miles O'Brien.

Hey, Miles, good to see you.

Miles O’Brien:

Good to see you, Amna.

So tell us about this Indian mission. What are its goals?

Well, its primary goal has been accomplished.

The Indian Space Research Organization wanted to prove it could land a lander softly at the south pole of the moon. No nation has ever done this. India becomes the fourth nation to land on the moon anywhere, but the first at the south pole of the moon.

So it's already accomplished its minimal mission goal. Now we're waiting for the tiny rover Pragyan, which weighs about as much as a checked-on bag, to roll off the ramp of the Vikram lander and spend a little bit of time surveying the Martian surface at the south pole, conducting experiments to understand its elemental composition, its seismicity.

And the biggie here, Amna, is ice water. The more we know about what the situation is there for water at the south pole, the more scientists get interested in this place.

So, as we mentioned, the Russians tried earlier and failed. They wanted to beat the Indians to make it to the moon. But what happened to that Russian attempt?> What went wrong?

Well, this is a bit of a tortoise and hare.

The Russians launched much later on sort of a beeline mission to the moon. The Indian space program takes a much more fuel-efficient and generally efficient approach. Their launch was more than a month ago, and they slowly, but surely nudge their orbit closer and closer to the moon to save fuel, to save way, to save cost.

The Russians tried to sprint. We don't know exactly what happened. But as it descended and tried to reach the surface of the moon, something went wrong. And it made yet another crater in the moon, as if it needed that. It's probably a reflection of the financial stresses that the Russian space program faces, certainly in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.

But, even before that, it had lost a lot of its commercial space enterprise and business to the lights of SpaceX. So the Russian program is a shell of what it once was, for sure.

So, Miles, tell us a little more about why the south pole of the moon in particular seems to be attracting more visitors now.

And is this what's basically fueling sort of a moon race 2.0?

Yes, it's kind of fun to watch. It's very different this go-round.

It is interesting that, in 2009, the Chandrayaan-1, which was a moon orbiter, carried an instrument built by NASA, which made the first discovery of water ice at the south pole of the moon. And that has set off quite a race, because it changes the way you think about possibly operating an outpost on the moon.

If you have water, you have H2O, you can certainly sustain life, obviously. But you can also create electrical energy, and H and O are actually rocket fuel. So you could conceivably fuel up rockets to go back to Earth, or perhaps even go farther beyond. So, with all that in mind, people who want to explore space find this an intriguing spot as a launching pad, if you will.

Miles, some of this is certainly about national prestige, right? It certainly was for the U.S.

So what does it do for a country when they're able to do this? And also tell us about America's efforts to return to the moon.

Yes, I mean, I think you could make an argument that to attain a superpower status, having a space program is part of the whole mix.

And I think that is something that India has discovered and has made a huge investment really in the past three years too. It has unleashed private enterprise. And there are now about 140 small space start-ups in India attracting several hundred million dollars in investment. So what India has discovered is that not only does it give you that soft power prestige throughout the world.

Space is a huge wealth generator. And as things get smaller and cheaper in space, you can imagine using space to provide great value to people out here on Earth, not just to go and plant a flag on Mars, but to help farmers plant crops better, to understand climate change, to better understand our weather patterns.

And so all of that makes it a practical thing, but also a symbolic and, well, boasting rights kind of thing for nations. And I think India has discovered that, along with China, the U.S. and, of course, the Soviet Union initially.

Miles, I got to ask, because you cover all these details of all these different efforts, but seeing something like this, does it ever get old?

This is so exciting to see a new generation of people and a new group of people succeeding in this realm. And to see India ascendant and succeed so well, it heartens those of us who care about space exploration. Truly, the more the merrier. And nobody is enjoying any moment of schadenfreude over the Russian failure.

The more that the U.S. and its other — and other spacefaring nations succeed, the more the Earth as a whole does better by using space as a tool to make life better here.

Science correspondent Miles O'Brien, thank you so much. Always great to see you.

You're welcome, Amna.

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India Launches Lunar Mission With a Shot at Winning This Year’s Moon Race

Chandrayaan-3, a partial redo of a 2019 mission that ended in a crash, is the first of as many as six missions that could land on the moon in the coming months.

India Launches Moon Mission

A rocket lifted off from sriharikota, india, on july 14, carrying the chandrayaan-3 robotic lander and rover toward the moon..

“Three, two, one, zero. Plus 5 seconds.“ “Lift off normal.” “Here we have a majestic lift off of LVM3-M4 rocket carrying India’s prestigious Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. Every Indian witnessing the launch live is content with the feeling of watching history in the making.” [applause]

By Kenneth Chang and Hari Kumar

India is on its way back to the moon after a rocket lifted off from Sriharikota, a launch site off the country’s East Coast, on Friday afternoon local time.

The mission, Chandrayaan-3, is largely a do-over after the country’s first attempt at putting a robotic spacecraft on the surface of the moon nearly four years ago ended in a crash and a crater .

Chandrayaan-3 is taking place amid renewed interest in exploring the moon. The United States and China are both aiming to send astronauts there in the coming years, and a half dozen robotic missions from Russia, Japan and the United States could head there this year and next.

If the robotic lander and rover aboard Chandrayaan-3 succeed in landing intact, that will be an accomplishment that no country other than China has pulled off this century, adding to the national pride India takes in its homegrown space program. A cadre of commercial space start-ups is also popping up in India.

Last month, India reached an agreement with the United States to send a joint mission to the International Space Station next year. The Indian Space Research Organization — India’s equivalent of NASA — is also developing its own spacecraft to take astronauts to orbit.

On Friday, at 2:35 p.m. local time (5:05 a.m. Eastern time), a rocket called Launch Vehicle Mark III lifted off from the Indian space base on an island north of the metropolis of Chennai.

As crowds waving Indian flags and colorful umbrellas cheered, the rocket rose into the sky. Sixteen minutes later, the spacecraft separated from the rocket’s upper stage, and a round of cheering and clapping erupted in the mission control center.

“It is indeed a moment of glory for India,” Jitendra Singh, the minister of state for India’s Ministry of Science of Technology, said in remarks after the launch, “and a moment of destiny for all of us over here at Sriharikota who are part of the history in the making.”

Over the coming weeks, the spacecraft will perform a series of engine firings to elongate its orbit before heading toward the moon. A landing attempt is scheduled to occur on Aug. 23 or 24, timed to coincide with sunrise at the landing site in the moon’s south polar region.

Landing on the moon in one piece is difficult, and many space programs have failed.

Chandrayaan means “moon craft” in Hindi. Chandrayaan-1, an orbiter, launched in 2008, and the mission lasted less than year. The Chandrayaan-2 mission lifted off successfully on July 22, 2019, and the spacecraft successfully entered orbit around the moon.

The landing attempt on Sept. 6, 2019, appeared to be going well until the lander was about 1.3 miles above the surface, when its trajectory diverged from the planned path .

The problems arose because one of the lander’s five engines had thrust that was slightly higher than expected, S. Somanath, the chairman of the Indian space agency, said during a news conference a few days ago.

The spacecraft tried to correct, but the software specified limits on how quickly it could turn. And because of the higher thrust, the craft was still some distance from its destination even as it was approaching the ground.

“The craft is trying to reach there by increasing velocity to reach there, whereas it was not having enough time to,” Mr. Somanath said.

Months later, an amateur internet sleuth used imagery from a NASA spacecraft to locate the crash site , where the debris of the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover sit to this day.

The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter continues to travel around the moon, where its instruments are being used for scientific study. For that reason, the Chandrayaan-3 mission has a simpler propulsion module that will push a lander and a rover out of Earth’s orbit and then allow it to enter orbit around the moon.

Although the design of the lander is largely the same, changes include stronger landing legs, more propellant, additional solar cells to gather energy from the sun and improved sensors to measure the altitude.

The software was also changed so that the spacecraft could turn faster if needed, and the allowed landing area has been expanded.

If they get to the moon, the lander and the rover will use a range of instruments to make thermal, seismic and mineralogical measurements of the area.

The mission is to conclude two weeks after the landing when the sun sets on the solar-powered lander and rover. If something comes up while Chandrayaan-3 is in orbit around the moon, the landing could be delayed a month until the next sunrise, in September, so that the spacecraft can spend a full two weeks operating on the surface.

While scientists will benefit from the lunar data collected by Chandrayaan-3, India, like other countries, is also exploring the solar system for reasons of national pride.

When the country’s Mangalyaan spacecraft entered orbit around Mars in 2014, children across India were asked to arrive at school by 6:45 a.m., well before the usual starting time, to watch the event on state television.

Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, was at the mission control center in Bengaluru and hailed the Mars mission “as a shining symbol of what we are capable of as a nation.”

For the failed Chandrayaan-2 landing attempt, Mr. Modi was again at the space center, but his address afterward was more subdued. “We came very close, but we will need to cover more ground in the times to come,” he said to the scientists, engineers and staff.

Later in his address, Mr. Modi added: “As important as the final result is the journey and the effort. I can proudly say that the effort was worth it and so was the journey.” He was later seen embracing and consoling K. Sivan , then the chief of ISRO.

On Friday, the mood in the mission control room was jubilant after the spacecraft’s successful trip to orbit was confirmed. Optimism about Chandrayaan-3 also pervaded some Indian space enthusiasts who traveled to view the launch in person.

Neeraj Ladia, 35, the chief executive of Space Arcade, an astronomy equipment maker, was parked among around 100 cars viewing the launch five miles from the ISRO campus at Sriharikota.

“This time it will be a soft landing, definitely,” he said, referring to setting down on the moon in one piece. He added, “That is why the mood is very positive this time.”

Beyond Chandrayaan-3, the Indian space agency has other plans in motion. It is developing a spacecraft, Gaganyaan, for taking astronauts to orbit, but it has fallen behind its original goal of a crewed flight by 2022, and the mission is now expected no earlier than 2025.

India is increasing its collaboration with the United States for space missions. Earlier this year, the White House announced that NASA would provide training for Indian astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston “with a goal of mounting a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024.”

India has also signed the Artemis Accords, an American framework that sets out general guidelines for civil space exploration. The accords reinforce the United States’ view that the 1967 Outer Space Treaty allows countries to use resources like minerals and ice mined on asteroids, the moon, Mars and elsewhere in the solar system.

Another collaboration is the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission, or NISAR, which will use advanced radar to precisely track changes in the Earth’s land and ice surfaces. The satellite is scheduled to launch from India in 2024. India also has ambitions for missions to study the sun and Venus.

Several moon missions could be right at India’s heels. Russia is planning to launch Luna 25 in August, the latest in a long line of robotic missions to the moon. But it has been a long time since the last one: Luna 24 took place in August 1976, before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Also scheduled to head to the moon in August is the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, from the Japanese space agency JAXA.

Three NASA-financed missions are also on the way as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program — missions put together by private companies to take NASA instruments to the moon. Intuitive Machines of Houston has scheduled its first C.L.P.S. mission for no earlier than the third quarter of this year, heading for the south polar region.

Astrobotic Technology of Pittsburgh has its lander ready but is waiting on its ride — a new rocket developed by United Launch Alliance called Vulcan, which is not yet ready to fly .

A second Intuitive Machines mission is also penciled in for the fourth quarter of this year, but that seems likely to slide into next year.

There has been one landing attempt on the moon this year, in April, by the Japanese company Ispace . But that spacecraft crashed when its navigation system became confused.

Kenneth Chang has been at The Times since 2000, writing about physics, geology, chemistry, and the planets. Before becoming a science writer, he was a graduate student whose research involved the control of chaos. More about Kenneth Chang

Hari Kumar is a reporter in the New Delhi bureau. He joined The Times in 1997. More about Hari Kumar

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How India's Moon missions went from Somayaan to Chandrayaan

While scientists had picked out the name ‘Somayaan’ from a Sanskrit verse in the Rigveda, it was then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee – a big backer of the space programme – who chose the name Chandrayaan. The PM had said this would reflect India’s emergence as an economic power

India is all set to create history today with its Chandrayaan-3 Moon mission.

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s lander Vikram is slated to touch down near the Moon’s south pole at 6.04 pm.

The success will make India just the fourth country to do so – after the United States, the former Soviet Union and China – and the first to reach the uncharted south pole of Earth’s only natural satellite.

But have you ever wondered about the origins of India’s Moon missions and how they got the name Chandrayaan?

Let’s take a closer look:

  Origins of Moon mission

 As per Hindustan Times, the idea of India first carrying out a lunar mission was broached in 1999.

This came after talks with the Indian Academy of Sciences in 1999 as well as discussions within the Astronautical Society of India the next year.

The ISRO, based on the recommendations of such experts, then formed the National Lunar Mission Task Force.

This task force, comprising top scientists and technologists, debated the feasibility of a Moon mission as well as spelled out its goals.

The panel then unanimously recommended that India carry out a lunar mission.

In November 2003, the Centre approved the ISRO proposal for the first Moon Mission, as per Hindustan Times.

  PM changes Somayaan to Chandrayaan

As per Deccan Chronicle, scientists in 1999 had picked out the name ‘Somayaan’ from a Sanskrit verse in the Rigveda:

“O Moon! We should be able to know you through our intellect. You enlighten us through the right path.”

But then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee – a big backer of the space programme – had different ideas.

As Dr K Kasturirangan, then ISRO chairman, recalled, “Vajpayee said the mission should be called Chandrayaan, and not Somayaan, as the country has emerged as an economic power, and will make many exploratory journeys to the Moon."

“It took four years to plan the mission, and another four years to implement it,” Kasturirangan added.

As per Hindustan Times, Vajpayee in 2003, giving India’s 56th Independence Day speech from Red Fort, announced the Chandrayaan-1.

“Our country is now ready to fly high in the field of science. I am pleased to announce that India will send her spacecraft to the moon by 2008. It is being named Chandrayaan,” Vajpayee stated.

Chandrayaan-1 was sent into orbit on 22 October, 2008, while Chandrayaan-2 was launched on 22 July, 2019.

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 and its objectives are to demonstrate safe and soft-landing on the lunar surface, roving on the Moon, and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

Chandrayaan-2 had failed in its lunar phase when its lander ‘Vikram’ crashed into the surface of the Moon following anomalies in the braking system in the lander while attempting a touch down on 7 Septembe, 2019.

The Rs 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on 14 July onboard Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket, for a 41-day voyage to reach near the lunar south pole.

The soft-landing is being attempted days after Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the Moon after spinning out of control.

  With inputs from agencies

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India has landed on the Moon: here’s what the political and economic gains are

Professor of Space Law and Policy, Northumbria University, Newcastle

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From the early days of human space activity in the 1960s, missions to the Moon have attracted significant global attention. India’s recent success in landing the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the Moon was technically demanding and occurred in a previously unexplored part of the Moon .

As well as the scientific benefits, India has already enjoyed the significant attention that still accompanies high profile space missions, gaining news coverage across the globe .

There are always considerable demands upon government spending. So why do some countries continue to put substantial resources into space activity? And does this type of success produce tangible national and international benefits beyond a few days in the media spotlight?

Though it sounds inordinately expensive to outsiders, getting a nation into space is no longer necessarily as costly as it used to be. Access to space is getting cheaper , especially for nations who have access to their own launch vehicles.

This is illustrated by the relatively low cost of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Initially, the budget was a relatively modest US$70m (£55m). Although the final cost has not publicly disclosed, it is believed to rival the lowest cost lunar lander missions currently under development in the US .

Lowering the cost of space missions has meant a dramatic increase in the number of countries looking to have a presence in space. India has now produced at least 140 commercial space companies registered with the Indian Ministry of Corporate Affairs, that, between them, have attracted US$120 million in investment at a rate that is doubling on an annual basis .

Jobs and development

The US Apollo programme has shown that space exploration can drive technological innovation. These innovations have applications in various industries including telecommunications, remote sensing and the creation of new, useful materials .

The success of Chandrayaan-3 will bring more of the high-skilled jobs that every economy – developed and developing – depends on for further growth . In addition to those scientific and technical workers, support and administrative roles will also be created.

The development of a space industry within a country can have significant benefits to growing the economy, beyond the money initially invested. Along with the scientific discoveries that Chanrayaan-3 may make, these are obvious benefits for any nation looking to showcase itself on the global stage.

Building international ties

Working as a member of the global scientific community enables countries to use space exploration as a way to foster closer ties. As part of this, there can be a pooling of expertise as well as technology transfer programmes , which lead to applications moving from space tech to other parts of society, such as fire-retardant clothing being used in other industries.

It is possible for deeper diplomatic and economic relations to emerge from these bespoke scientific and technical arrangements. India already has close collaborative ties with the US.

The success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission will not only help develop these ties but will help illustrate the value of India signing the Artemis Accords , an agreement fostering international cooperation to expand space exploration to Mars, and becoming a fully-fledged partner in the US programme to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon .

Given that Russia had tried and failed to land the probe, Luna 25, on the Moon a few days earlier , India’s success was significant. The Russian failure has been viewed as an indication of its decline as a space power. It is prudent for ambitious governments with an eye on space to remember that prestige can cut both ways.

Read more: Almost half of Moon missions fail. Why is space still so hard?

The national security dimension of space activity cannot be ignored. If, as the adage goes, “ all politics is local politics ” then the achievement of India in space will not have been lost on its neighbours, Pakistan and China. China, the dominant superpower in the region, will see it as competition to its own lunar programme and space ambitions.

More broadly, it will also recognise the threat posed by closer Indian relations with the US. That success in space could seem threatening to India’s neighbours. Such an advantage carries the implicit warning that such technology could also be used for military and defence purposes in future.

Modi’s global image

It was fortuitous for India’s prime minister Narendra Modi that the space landing was announced while he was at the Brics summit of fast-growing economies . The perception that under his leadership India is standing on the world stage because of its scientific and technical prowess will also play well domestically.

Yet, the boost to Indian prestige and confidence brought about by the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is ultimately more than an attempt by an ambitious nation trying to gain a place on the world stage. India already has the attention of the world and is seen by many as a crucial counterbalance by the US to the threat posed by China . Ultimately, this was a mission of scientific exploration, built on sustainable economic foundations.

Space exploration in the 2020s is dramatically different to that of the first lunar space race between the US and the Soviet Union . Nonetheless, the international prestige that a successful lunar programme can bring is still a very attractive option for governments who are looking to boost their image both domestically and internationally, as well as providing an economic lift.

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Essay on Mission Chandrayaan 3: India’s Triumph in Space

Indian Space Research Organization released pictures of the landing site of the Chandrayaan 3 on 23.07.2023 when India achieved the remarkable Journey of Chandrayaan 3 to the Moon. The picture was taken from the Landing Imager Camera after the landing of the Chadrayaan 3 . Lets explore more about Mission Chandrayaan 3 in this essay .

Essay on Mission Chandrayaan 3

India’s space exploration journey achieved another monumental milestone with the successful launch and arrival of Chandrayaan 3 on the Moon. Launched on July 14, 2023, and reaching its lunar destination on August 23, 2023, Chandrayaan 3 represents India’s determination and prowess in the field of space exploration. This mission marks a significant leap forward in advancing our understanding of the Moon and the cosmos.

Mission Objectives of Mission Chandrayaan 3

Chandrayaan 3 was designed to build on the successes of its predecessors, Chandrayaan 1 and Chandrayaan 2, with a specific focus on lunar surface exploration. The primary objectives of this mission included conducting comprehensive studies of the Moon’s surface composition, morphology, and topography, as well as collecting vital data to expand our understanding of lunar geological history.

Technological Marvels of Mission Chandrayaan 3

The successful execution of Chandrayaan 3 reflects India’s technological capabilities. The spacecraft was equipped with state of the art instruments and technologies, including high resolution cameras, spectrometers, and radar systems. These sophisticated tools were designed to capture detailed images of the Moon’s surface and analyze its mineral composition, thus contributing to the broader scientific understanding of lunar evolution.

Launch and Journey of Mission Chandrayaan 3

On July 14, 2023, the GSLV Mk III-M1 rocket, carrying the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. The launch marked a crucial step in India’s ambitious journey to unravel the mysteries of the Moon. The spacecraft embarked on a complex trajectory, skillfully navigating through space to reach its lunar orbit by August 23, 2023.

Lunar Arrival and Exploration

Chandrayaan 3’s arrival on the Moon’s surface was a moment of immense pride for India’s space community and the nation as a whole. The lander and rover components touched down on the Moon’s surface with precision, marking a significant achievement in lunar exploration. The rover was equipped to navigate and analyze the lunar terrain, collect samples, and transmit crucial data back to Earth.

Scientific Discoveries and Contributions

The data gathered by Chandrayaan 3’s instruments has the potential to reshape our understanding of the Moon’s geological history, evolution, and possible resources. The spacecraft’s findings can provide insights into the Moon’s origin, its interactions with space and Earth, and even its potential role as a stepping stone for future space exploration missions.

Global Collaboration and Inspiration

India’s achievements in space exploration through missions like Chandrayaan 3 serve as an inspiration to nations around the world. The collaborative nature of space exploration encourages international cooperation, allowing countries to share resources, expertise, and insights for the betterment of humanity’s understanding of the cosmos.

India’s Chandrayaan 3 mission is not just a scientific accomplishment but a testament to the nation’s technological prowess, determination, and dedication to advancing our knowledge of the universe. The successful launch and lunar arrival of Chandrayaan-3 represent a significant stride toward unraveling the mysteries of the Moon, fostering global collaboration, and inspiring generations to come. As we celebrate this remarkable achievement, we look forward to the valuable scientific discoveries and insights that Chandrayaan 3’s mission data will unveil.

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India’s new moon mission

India has successfully launched a mission to soft land a rover on the moon, making it the fourth country to do so. The BBC’s Rajini Vaidyanathan reports.  

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Surprises from India’s Moon mission

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Reference: Cell commentary

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Micaela Camino is the director of Project Quimilero in Colonia Benítez, Argentina Credit: Constanza Pasian for Nature

Ecologist Micaela Camino is studying a map of an area in the Argentinian Chaco Seco forest that was drawn with the help of elder Wichí members. “We meet with the Indigenous Wichí people to record places, animals and plants that are important to them,” she says, explaining her work as the director of Project Quimilero, which aims to protect pig-like peccaries ( Catagonus wagneri ). “We now understand that the Western concept of ‘territory’, with its rigid boundaries, doesn’t make sense to these communities,” Camino says. “Changes in seasons, soil-saturation levels and animal movements force these peoples to go beyond those boundaries to hunt and collect water.” ( Nature | 3 min read )

Quote of the day

“it would be wrong to say my name’s known all the way around the world — but dolly’s is.”.

Embryologist Ian Wilmut led the research that resulted in the birth of Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell. He wasn’t keen on naming it after Dolly Parton (the sheep was cloned using mammary cells), but came to enjoy the moniker. Wilmut has died, aged 79. ( Nature | 16 min read — from 2016 )

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On Friday, Leif Penguinson was cooling off in (or near) a water hole in the Arava valley , in southern Israel. Did you find the penguin ? When you’re ready, here’s the answer .

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