Chandrayaan mission is the lunar exploration missions conducted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). So far there are 3 missions in it, Chandrayaan 1, Chandrayaan- 2 & Chandrayaan-3.
Chandrayaan-1 was launched in 2008 and was India’s first lunar mission. The spacecraft carried a suite of scientific instruments designed to study the moon’s surface and atmosphere. The mission was a success, and the spacecraft discovered water molecules on the moon’s surface.
Chandrayaan-2 was launched in 2019 and was India’s second lunar mission. The spacecraft consisted of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover. The mission was designed to study the moon’s south pole region, which had not been explored before. Unfortunately, the lander, Vikram, crashed during the landing attempt, and the rover, Pragyan, was unable to deploy.
Despite the setback, the Chandrayaan-2 mission was still a significant achievement for ISRO. The spacecraft successfully entered lunar orbit and conducted a number of scientific experiments before the lander’s crash. The mission helped to further our understanding of the moon’s geology and provided valuable data for future lunar missions.
Chandrayaan-3 is the most recent and third lunar exploration mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The mission is a follow-up to the Chandrayaan-2 mission. The mission was originally planned for 2020, but it has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and technical issues. Chandrayaan-3 was launched on 14 July 2023, at 2:35 pm IST from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
Similar to Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayan 3 also consists of a lander named Vikram and a rover named Pragyan. But it does not have an orbiter.
The lander and rover are expected to land near the lunar south pole region on 23 August 2023.
As per the recent reports, ISRO has successfully performed the third orbit-raising maneuver (Earth-bound perigee firing) of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. The next firing is planned for July 20 between 2 pm and 3 pm.
The main objectives set by ISRO, for the Chandrayaan-3 mission, are:
- To get the lander land safely and softly on the Moon surface.
- Observing and demonstrating the loitering capabilities of the rover on the Moon.
- In-site observation & conducting experiments on the materials available on the lunar surface to better understand composition of the Moon.
Chandrayaan-3 is an important part of India’s space exploration program and is expected to contribute valuable data to our understanding of the moon and its history.