Chandrayaan 3 to make soft landing on Moon at 6:04 pm today
India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is scheduled to softly touch down on the moon's surface today at 6:04 pm.
New Delhi: In a historic event eagerly anticipated worldwide, India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is scheduled to softly touch down on the moon’s surface today at 6:04 pm. If successful, India will become the fourth country in the world to achieve a soft moon landing, following the United States, China, and the former Soviet Union. However, India will stand out as the first nation to land on the moon’s south pole, a region of great interest due to the potential presence of water.
Chandrayaan-3, launched on July 14, represents a follow-up mission to Chandrayaan-2, which faced challenges during its previous lunar landing attempt. Since entering the moon’s orbit on August 5, the spacecraft has undergone several orbit reduction maneuvers, culminating in the separation of its two modules, the rover and the lander, on August 17.
Chandrayaan 3 to make soft landing today
A soft landing involves a carefully controlled descent where the spacecraft gradually reduces its speed to nearly zero before touching the lunar surface. Unlike a hard landing, which results in the spacecraft’s destruction upon impact, a soft landing aims for a gentle touchdown. ISRO’s Chief, S Somnath, has reassured that even in the event of multiple failures, Chandrayaan-3 is designed to achieve a soft landing.
Today’s touchdown is a critical phase, as Chandrayaan-3 transitions from a horizontal to a vertical orientation, a stage that posed challenges during the Chandrayaan-2 mission.
What will happen after the soft landing of Chandrayaan 3?
After a successful soft landing, the rover will descend from the lander onto the moon’s surface to conduct surface analysis. Both the lander and rover are expected to remain operational for one lunar day, equivalent to 14 Earth days. What happens beyond this initial period remains uncertain, as ISRO officials have not ruled out the possibility of extending the mission into another lunar day, provided the equipment continues to function.
A lunar day corresponds to the time when the sun shines on the moon’s surface, enabling normal operations. However, once the lunar night falls, temperatures plummet to as low as minus 180 degrees Celsius, making it extremely challenging for the spacecraft to remain operational. Nevertheless, if the equipment does endure, it would be a remarkable achievement for ISRO.
What if the Chandrayaan 3 landing is not successful ?
ISRO Chairman S Somnath has expressed confidence in Chandrayaan-3’s landing, stating that even in the face of sensor failures or engine issues, the spacecraft is equipped to complete a successful landing. In the unlikely event of today’s landing not going as planned, ISRO has contingency plans for a second landing attempt on August 24, with additional attempts possible in the following lunar days. “If everything fails, if all the sensors fail, nothing works, still it (Vikram) will make a landing. That’s how it has been designed — provided that the propulsion system works well. We have also made sure that if two of the engines (in Vikram) don’t work this time also, it will still be able to land,” S Somnath said.
