Recently, India announced the successful launch of its third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3. This marks India’s first successful spacecraft landing on the moon since the international race to the moon began in the early 1960s.
The mission was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India, using the country’s most advanced Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-MkIII). The spacecraft is carrying a Moon Lander, designed to assess the surface of the moon and collect scientific data.
The craft separated from the launch vehicle after about an hour and thirty minutes in orbit around the Earth. After a few days, the mission entered its Trans Lunar Injection (TLI) phase, which saw the spacecraft slingshot toward the moon’s orbit. After another two weeks of travel, Chandrayaan-3 reached its destination and began to maneuver into its stable lunar orbit.
After several weeks of suspending in the moon’s orbit, the spacecraft initiated its landing maneuver. The lander slowly descended to the lunar surface from an altitude of around 2300 km. After 90 minutes of maneuvering, the lander successfully touched down on the moon at a location known as the Southern Polar Region.
A significant milestone was achieved as India became the fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon, joining the United States, Russia, and China. Chandrayaan-3 is expected to help us learn more about the moon, especially in an area that has remained unexplored so far.
The spacecraft is equipped with cameras and sensors that are expected to assess the composition of the moon’s surface and measure moonquakes, among other tasks. Additionally, the mission is looking to identify Helium-3, an isotope that could be used as a source of clean energy on Earth.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission has captured the imagination of space researchers around the world. It is a great accomplishment and a significant milestone in India’s space programme. With such a successful launch and landing, India has proved itself a major player in the new space race.
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