By Girish Linganna
On September 6, 2019, the aspirations of more than a billion individuals were reliant on a mission that was on its way to the dark side of the Moon—an area that is perpetually shrouded in darkness. Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram lander was travelling to its destination more than 384,400 km away from Earth. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) mission control experienced a change in atmosphere to one of gloom when the spacecraft went missing. Now, close to four years later, India is about to make another attempt.
The Indian Space Research Organisation has announced a new mission, Chandrayaan-3, with the goal of achieving a soft-landing on the Moon. Preparations for the forthcoming Chandrayaan-3 mission have been completed. The Chandrayaan-3 mission is ready to be launched aboard the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk-III, India’s largest rocket, which is also known as ‘Bahubali’. Back in March, the rocket had made its last roar sending the OneWeb Gen-1 satellite constellation into an exact orbit around the planet.
The 3,900-kilogram spacecraft will be loaded onto the payload fairing at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Sriharikota, in order to break free from Earth’s gravitational pull. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch the ambitious Chandrayaan-3 to the Moon, expectedly in mid-July, but a firm date is yet to be released. The Chandrayaan-3 probe will attempt a feat that, till date, only three countries—the erstwhile Soviet Union, US and China—have achieved so far: soft landing on the lunar surface.
As India is formulating plans to investigate the polar region of the Moon, we can look at the remarkable package of supplies they are sending to our neighbouring celestial body.
Standing 43.5 metres tall, the rocket was previously employed in the successful launch of the Chandrayaan-2 mission. The GSLV Mk-III consists of three stages, containing two solid strap-on boosters, a liquid core stage and a high-thrust cryogenic upper stage. It can deliver a 4-ton satellite of the GSAT series to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits, as well as payloads of 8,000 kg to Low Earth Orbit, with a gross lift-off weight of 640 tons.
ISRO will launch on the Moon a lander-rover combination with Chandrayaan-3 and will use the Orbiter launched with Chandrayaan-2 a few years ago to coordinate with the new mission. The Orbiter is already orbiting the Moon, conducting scientific research and exploring the surface. The lander-rover combo has been carefully packed in the spacecraft’s propulsion module, which will bring it into lunar orbit before the tricky descent begins.
Weighing in at a hefty 2,148 kg, the propulsion module for Chandrayaan-3 will take the lander-rover combination up to an orbital distance of approximately 100 kilometres above the lunar surface before detaching. This module also has its own distinct purpose as it has been equipped with the Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) instrument, meant to analyse the spectrum of Earth and collect data on possible habitable planets. Using data emitted by SHAPE, India will be able to analyse exoplanets and come up with a benchmark for judging the habitability of those found beyond the solar system.
While Chandrayan-2 delivered the Vikram lander to the Moon, Chandrayan-3 is carrying a comparable lander with a nearly identical configuration and mission plan. ISRO has preserved the Lander name, Vikram, exclusively for Chandrayaan-3.
In the interim, the Chandrayaan-3 lander was constructed to address the flaws of its predecessor, which had failed to land safely due to a “software glitch”. Accompanying Chandrayaan-3’s lunar excursion is a lander loaded with sophisticated scientific equipment, including Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (CHASTE) designed by the Space Physics Laboratory. This apparatus is intended to accurately assess thermal conductivity and temperature.
The Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) will be crucial in estimating seismic activity near the designated landing site. To measure the plasma density and monitor its fluctuations, the Langmuir Probe with the Radio Anatomy of Moon-Bound Hypersensitive Ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA) will be deployed. US space agency NASA has designed a passive Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) as the fourth instrument for lunar laser ranging research to gain a better understanding of the Moon system’s dynamics
Weighing only 26 kilograms with the capability to generate 50 watts, this rover, which has retained the same name of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, the Pragyan, is equipped with two instruments: the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). These are utilized to gauge the elemental composition of the area around the landing site and to analyze the minerals in the regolith (lunar rocks and soil).
The Moon, our only natural satellite, has been forever cloaked in enigma and curiosity. But soon, when Chandrayaan-3 touches down on its heavily scarred exterior, India will unveil those mysteries and potentially discover new secrets. (IPA Service)
(The author is a Defence, Aerospace & Political analyst)