India’s Chandrayaan-3 Lunar Explorer is Set to Land on the Moon’s Surface at 6:04 PM Local Time on August 23.
Launch of Chandrayaan-3 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh, Southern India on July 14, 2023. (Photo: AFP/TTXVN).
According to a statement from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on August 20, the entire landing process of the spacecraft will be broadcast live on the agency’s website, the state television channel Doordarshan, and various social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube.
All schools and educational institutions across the country are encouraged to actively promote this event to students.
The Chandrayaan-3 Explorer was launched on July 14 and entered lunar orbit on August 5. Subsequently, the lander and rover separated from the spacecraft on August 17 to prepare for landing on the moon’s surface. The mission is scheduled to complete a 40-day journey, landing near the Moon’s South Pole on August 23, followed by a two-week exploration and experimentation phase.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission was developed with an investment of approximately $75 million. This is the first major mission since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration announced policies to promote investment in private space exploration and related business models for satellite development and launches.
In 2019, ISRO launched the Chandrayaan-2 lunar explorer into space, but lost communication with the spacecraft prior to its scheduled landing on September 7, 2019.
