Pradeep's Space Newsletter #56
Chandrayaan 3's historic descent to the Southern Lunar Polar Region
Chandrayaan 3
Chandrayaan 1 stopped communicating with Earth on 28 August 2009. ISRO declared the mission had ended on that date. Less than 14 years later, an Indian spacecraft has landed on the Moon.
Chandrayaan 2 crash landed on 6 September 2019. Less than 4 years later, an Indian spacecraft has landed on the Moon.
These were the orbital maneuvers performed by Chandrayaan 3 since 16 August 2023:
17August 2023 - Separation of Propulsion Module and Landing Module (Lander and Rover)
18 August 2023 - Deboost 1 - 113 km x 157 km
20 August 2023 - Deboost 2 - 25 km x 134 km
23 August 2023 - Landed successfully
24 August 2023 - Rover on Lunar surface
All payloads were switched on by 25 August 2023.
ISRO posts its updates related to this mission on Twitter. On 26 August 2023, it declared that two of the mission objectives were met - technological demonstration of soft landing on the Moon and the technological demonstration of roving on the lunar surface. The scientific mission performed by the payloads will now be carried out.
Videos shared on Twitter
Here is how the Lander Imager Camera captured the moon's image just prior to touchdown on 23 August 2023.
Here is how the Chandrayaan-3 Rover ramped down from the Lander to the Lunar surface.
Here is how the rapid deployment of the ramp and solar panel took place, prior to the rolldown of the rover.
Here is how the rover, Pragyan, roved around Shiv Shakti point.
Prime Minister at ISRO
Unlike Chandrayaan 2, the Prime Minister witnessed the landing of Chandrayaan 3 through video conference. He was attending the BRICS Summit in South Africa.
He returned on the morning of 26 August 2023 and visited the Mission Operations Complex (MOX), at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC).
Here, the Prime Minister named:
Chandrayaan 3 landing site as Shiv Shakti Point.
Chandrayaan 2 crash site as Tiranga Point.
23 August as National Space Day.
In his remarks, he stressed that Shakti in Shiv Shakti refers to the role played by women in the mission. Shiv Shakti could otherwise have been interpreted purely as “the power of Shiva”.
Shiva in the trinity of Hinduism is the God of Destruction. But, He is associated with the Moon, as He wears the Moon on His head in His pictorial representations. Shakti, in the Shakta tradition of Hinduism, is regarded as an energy and a creative power and an equal feminine partner of Shiva.
The Prime Minister met the women scientists associated with the Chandrayaan 3 mission.
There are still not many images available of the mission and this has been a frustrating wait for them. The wait for the science from the mission could be much longer. But, let the Science begin!