The Chandrayaan 3 mission has successfully overcome significant hurdles ahead of its scheduled launch on July 14, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The LVM3 rocket with the duo of spacecraft for the Chandrayaan 3 lunar mission on the launch pad. (Photo: ISRO)
The Chandrayaan 3 mission aims to successfully land India’s spacecraft on the Moon for the first time. “The mission readiness assessment has been completed. The launch has also been authorized. The countdown will begin tomorrow,” ISRO announced on Twitter on July 12.
The launch is scheduled to take place on Sriharikota Island, located on the eastern coast of India, at 4:05 PM on July 14 (Hanoi time) using the LVM3 rocket. During the Chandrayaan 3 mission, the lander and rover duo will aim to land near the Moon’s south pole around the end of August. If successful, India will become the fourth country to achieve a successful lunar landing, following the United States, the Soviet Union, and China. However, none of these countries have landed at the south pole.
The Indian lander and rover duo are designed to operate for one lunar day (approximately 14 Earth days), collecting various types of data about their surroundings using scientific instruments.
Chandrayaan 3 is India’s third lunar mission and its second attempt at a soft landing on this celestial body. The first attempt occurred in September 2019 and ended in failure when the Chandrayaan 2 lander and rover crashed onto the lunar surface.
The Chandrayaan 2 mission also included an orbiter, which continues to collect data around the Moon. Chandrayaan 3 does not have an orbiter but will carry a remote sensing instrument designed for Earth observation. This data will be useful for future missions aimed at searching for exoplanets suitable for life, according to ISRO.
