India's ambitious lunar exploration program has reached a new milestone as the country now has three spacecraft orbiting the Moon.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has announced that the Vikram lander of the Chandrayaan-3 mission has successfully separated from the propulsion module and is scheduled to land on the lunar surface on December 3. August 23, 2023.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission, launched on July 14, 2023, is a follow-up to the 2019 Chandrayaan-2 mission.
It consists of a native engine module, a lander called Vikram, and an autonomous vehicle. Unlike its predecessor, Chandrayaan-3 does not include an orbiter. Instead, its propulsion module acts as a communications relay satellite, decoding messages from the lander and forwarding them to ISRO.
The propulsion module, which carries lander and rover configurations until the spacecraft reaches a 100 km lunar orbit, also carries a possible Planet Earth Polarization Spectrometry (SHAPE) payload. can stay. This instrument studies the spectroscopy and polarization measurements of the Earth from lunar orbit, contributing to our understanding of interplanetary missions.
The Vikram lander, named after Dr. Vikram A. Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space program, is designed to operate for one lunar day, equivalent to about 14 Earth days. The lander will perform a series of missions of its own in lunar orbit until it reaches the surface and makes a gentle landing. In addition to these two orbits, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, still active around the Moon, adds to India's Moon presence. This boxy ship, with an orbital mass of 2,379 kg and solar panels capable of generating 1,000 W of power, communicates with India's Deep Space Network and the lander.
With these three spacecraft, India continues to make significant progress in space exploration. The successful landing of the Vikram lander will mark a historic achievement for ISRO, demonstrating the ability to safely land and roam the Moon's surface which was not possible with Chandrayaan-2 four years ago.
However, India is not alone around the Moon. China, the United States, and South Korea also have functional missions to the Moon.
As the world watches, India's lunar exploration program stands ready to unleash new scientific discoveries and technological advances.
