Chandrayaan-3: Know Everything About ISRO'S Moon Mission

With the launch of Chandrayaan-3 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), India is assured of making history. This third lunar exploration mission is to have a soft Land on the lunar surface and deploy a rover. If successful, this mission will make India one of the elite countries landing on the moon. However, these expectations are accompanied by criticism from other nations. The reason behind condemnation could be anything: jealousy, fear. You never know! Having said that, in this post, let’s explore some facts about Chandrayaan-3 and highlight a few perspectives behind the criticism.

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Cost of Chandrayaan-3

In 2020, the chairman of ISRO - K Sivan - stated that the entire cost of Chandrayaan-3 was approximately Rs. 615 crores. Of this, Rs. 250 crores went to the rover, lander, and propulsion module. And the remaining Rs. 365 crores went to the launch services. While the mission is more cost-effective than others, the cost may increase by more than Rs. 615 crores. The figure that Sivan gave was before the pandemic and before there was a delay in the mission by years. Keeping in mind that this mission was supposed to launch in 2021, and it will be launched in 2023, the cost may increase. As compared to Chandrayaan-2, which incurred the expense of Rs. 978 crores, this amount is far less.

Facts About Chandrayaan-3

Let’s navigate through some of the facts about Chandrayaan-3:

• Chandrayaan-3 comprises a rover and a lander launched into space through a rocket LVM3 from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota
• The spacecraft is expected to reach the moon on August 23, 2023, after more than 40 days of journey
• Once landed on the surface, the rover will be deployed and explore the entire lunar surface. The craft will be landing on the moon’s south pole, where Chandrayaan-1 detected the presence of water molecules

Objectives of Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3 got launched by an LVM3 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre located in Sriharikota. Once it is in orbit, the propulsion module will carry the rover and lander configuration to a 100-km lunar orbit. Then, the lander will get separated from the propulsion module, and there will be an attempt to land softly on the lunar surface. The propulsion module also carries the Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload, which will evaluate the Earth's light to assess its polarimetric and spectral properties. Once the rover is deployed on the lunar surface, it will be gathering data on the geology and composition of the moon, which will assist scientists in learning about the evolution and history of the Earth’s nearest celestial bodies.

Along with landing the spacecraft on the moon, Chandrayaan-3 will also be conducting scientific experiments to learn more about the moon's environment, such as its geology, history, and possibility of resources. Chandrayaan-3 has six payloads to study the lunar soil and capture pictures of Earth from the lunar orbit. During its mission of 14 days, Chandrayaan-3 will be conducting several experiments through the payloads ILSA and RAMBHA. With these experiments, the moon's atmosphere will be studied, and mineral composition will be understood.

The Vikram lander will photograph the Pragyaan rover, which will be deploying its instruments to study the moon’s seismic activity. Pragyaan will be using the laser beams to melt the lunar surface’s piece, known as regolith, and evaluate the gases that will be emitted throughout this process. With this mission, India will gain access to knowledge about the lunar surface and will also find out the possibilities for human habitation in the forthcoming years.

Criticism of Chandrayaan-3

A day after Chandrayaan-3 was launched, critics started raising fingers at the moon mission in India, throwing questions like the expenditure and the need for space programs. Amidst the critics, the former Minister of Science and Technology of Pakistan - Fawad Chaudhry - had a peculiar reaction. In one of the recent TV debates, the ex-minister of the neighboring nation was found stating. “Itne papad belne ki jarurat nahi hai.” (There is no need to go to such great lengths for moon sightings.)

In another tweet, a leading British politician sent a sarcastic congratulatory message stating, “Well done, India, on the success of your space program. And shame on UK politicians who keep unnecessarily giving India tens of millions of pounds in foreign aid.”

Anand Mahindra gave a befitting reply to critics on Twitter, stating, “There will be many who will question why we’re spending money on Chandrayaan-3 and, indeed, on the entire space program. Here is the answer. When we reach for the stars, it fills us with pride in our technology & with self-confidence as a nation. It inspires each of us to reach for the stars.”

Wrapping Up

By launching Chandrayaan-3, ISRO has successfully stated that where there is a will, there is a way. While there are plenty of people and nations raising their eyebrows on this acclamation, one thing is for sure and that is India is here to make significant progress in the upcoming days. Everyone is waiting for August 23 with bated breaths when Chandrayaan-3 will land on the moon and the mission will begin.