Chandrayaan 3 Successfully Lands on the Moon: India Joins Prestigious Space League

Madhavi Gaur August 26, 2023 10:38 7165 0

Chandrayaan 3 Successfully Lands on the Moon

India’s Chandrayaan 3 has successfully touched down at the moon’s southern pole, marking a momentous achievement. This triumphant lunar endeavor has elevated India to the esteemed rank of the fourth nation worldwide to accomplish a gentle landing on the lunar expanse, following in the footsteps of the US, China, and the former Soviet Union.

Leading up to this historic lunar touchdown, festivities and prayers resonated with fervor throughout the country. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) provided a live telecast of this significant event on its official website, underscoring its nationwide significance. The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 from Sriharikota.

Initiating its descent, the Vikram lander commenced its journey with a velocity of 1.68 kilometers per second. Gradually, it decelerated before embarking on a controlled vertical descent, utilizing powered propulsion to reach the moon’s surface with precision.

**Chandrayaan 3 Successfully Lands on the Moon**

Chandrayaan 3 Highlights

As Chandrayaan-3 achieved a triumphant touchdown on the Moon’s South Pole, marking India as the pioneer in reaching this region, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin personally reached out to congratulate the Chandrayaan-3 project director, P Veeramuthuvel.
Embarking on a 40-day journey from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 achieved a successful landing. This historic event saw India’s Moon rover taking its initial steps onto the lunar terrain, creating history as the first country to achieve a landing near the South Pole.
Describing the event, ISRO conveyed that Chandrayaan-3’s rover smoothly transitioned from the lander, marking India’s literal “walk on the Moon.” The Vikram lander carried out a successful planned touchdown on Wednesday evening.
With this achievement, India joins the distinguished league of nations that have realized a soft lunar landing. This elite roster includes the US, the former Soviet Union, and China.
Weighing 26 kilograms, the rover, known as Pragyaan, meaning “wisdom” in Sanskrit, was transported to the Moon within the Vikram lander’s payload. After a careful descent, Pragyaan deployed from Vikram and began its exploration on the lunar surface.
Pragyaan’s mission encompasses traversing the landscape, capturing essential data and images, and transmitting them back to Earth for comprehensive analysis. Armed with two scientific instruments, Pragyaan aims to identify lunar minerals and study the chemical composition of the soil.
Pragyaan will solely communicate with the lander, which will, in turn, relay the gathered data to Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter, still orbiting the Moon. The orbiter will then transmit the data to Earth for examination.
Pragyaan’s mobility is set at a gentle pace of 1 centimeter per second, and with each step, it will leave the imprint of ISRO’s logo and emblem on the Moon’s surface through its six wheels. The landing synchronizes with the commencement of a lunar day, granting the lander and rover 14 days of sunlight to replenish their batteries.
However, once the lunar night descends, their operations will cease until the next lunar day, posing the question of whether they will reactivate.
The lander, aside from facilitating Pragyaan’s journey, carries a range of scientific instruments intended to unravel the mysteries of the lunar surface and its surroundings.
One of Chandrayaan-3’s primary aims is to explore water on the Moon, which is crucial for potential human habitation and even supporting spacecraft missions to far-reaching destinations such as Mars.
Anticipation gripped the moments leading up to the touchdown as the lander executed its delicate descent. Gradually decelerating from 1.68 kilometers per second to nearly zero, the lander achieved a gentle landing on the lunar terrain.
The historical feat triggered nationwide celebrations, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi proudly stating, “India is now on the Moon,” emphasizing India’s unique achievement.
Coincidentally, this triumph followed Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft’s recent loss of control and crash into the Moon. The incident spotlighted the challenging topography of the South Pole region, known for its uneven terrain, craters, and boulders.
This victory resonates particularly with India’s prior lunar missions, notably Chandrayaan-2, which faced challenges during its soft landing attempt in 2019, resulting in the loss of the lander and rover but the survival of its orbiter.
As India makes its mark, it joins a global surge of lunar interest, with numerous missions slated to explore the Moon’s mysteries. Scientists view the Moon as a gateway to deeper space, promising an expansive canvas for understanding and exploration.

Google Doodle Celebrates Chandrayaan 3’s Successful Lunar South Pole Landing

The Google Doodle commemorates the victorious touchdown of India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission near the lunar south pole. The artwork vividly portrays the moment of achievement as the Vikram lander gently places the Pragyan rover on the lunar terrain. In this depiction, Earth exudes pride for this accomplishment, while the moon appears to relish the companionship it welcomes.

Doodle Statement: A Chandrayaan 3 Celebration of Achievement

The Doodle’s statement reads, “Congratulations to the Chandrayaan-3 space mission! We’re over the moon for you!” On August 23, after a 41-day journey to our celestial neighbor, the spacecraft successfully completed its descent and has already commenced transmitting the first images from the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan 3: A Momentous Step in Space Exploration

This historic landing signifies a moment of significance in the annals of space exploration. With Chandrayaan-3’s triumphant touch, only four nations have achieved a soft landing on the lunar landscape: China, the former Soviet Union, the United States, and now India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the collective achievement, stating, “This success belongs to all of humanity and it will aid future moon missions by other nations.”

Components of the ISRO Mission: Vikram and Pragyan

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) mission encompasses two vital elements: the ‘Vikram’ lander, signifying “valor,” and the solar-powered ‘Pragyan’ rover, symbolizing “wisdom” in Sanskrit. Operating in unison, this dynamic duo will dedicate a lunar day, equivalent to about 14 Earth days, to explore the lunar south pole. Their objective is to gather valuable scientific data about the moon, spanning from surface thermal conductivity and temperature measurements to the detection of moonquakes and the identification of elements within lunar soil and rocks.

Chandrayaan 3: Water Ice at the South Pole

The moon’s southern pole remains largely uncharted territory, believed to harbor significant deposits of water ice. These resources, if accessible, hold the potential to be mined for essential rocket fuel and life-support sustenance for future crewed missions. India’s initial endeavor towards lunar landing occurred in September 2019. However, a software malfunction led to the Chandrayaan-2 lander’s unfortunate crash on the lunar surface, rendering that attempt unsuccessful.

Chandrayaan-3 Achieves Historic Lunar Landing at South Pole of the Moon

Chandrayaan-3 Mission Launched, Achievements and Setbacks