According to media reports, Chandrayaan-3, India’s lunar mission, is approaching the moon and is scheduled for a crucial manoeuvre on August 1 at midnight. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to perform a trans-lunar injection (TL) to propel the spacecraft towards the moon. The manoeuvre is set to take place between 12:00 AM and 1:00 AM on August 1.
During the perigee, the closest point between the moon and Earth, the spacecraft’s thrusters will be fired to carry out the TL manoeuvre. The entire process is expected to take around 28 to 31 minutes.
ISRO anticipates a soft landing for Chandrayaan-3 on August 23 and 24. After the gentle touchdown, the Rover will emerge from the lander module and employ its advanced APXS (Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer) payloads to analyse the moon’s surface. This will help the Rover deduce the chemical and mineralogical composition, enhancing our understanding of the lunar terrain and surface characteristics.
Chandrayaan-3 is the second mission attempting a soft landing on the moon. The first attempt in 2019, named Chandrayaan-2, was an unmanned spacecraft that unfortunately failed when the Vikram lander crashed during its descent.
The Chief of ISRO described the crucial 15-minute period of soft landing on the moon as the nerve-wracking “15 minutes of terror.” This phase requires precise engine firings, careful fuel management, accurate scans of the lunar terrain, and ultimately, a successful touchdown. The high-stakes nature of these tasks makes this period incredibly stressful and anxiety-inducing for the mission team.
Discussion about this post