Chandrayaan-3 faces a crucial challenge of transitioning from horizontal to vertical orientation, reducing its speed from approximately 1.68 km/s (6,048 km/hr) horizontally to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface, according to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chief S Somanath. He emphasized that this process is the most critical task for the mission. The lander’s vertical velocity during touchdown is limited to ≤ 3.0 m/sec (10.8 km/hr).
Speaking during a talk titled ‘Chandrayaan-3: Bharat’s Pride Space Mission,’ hosted by the non-profit organization Disha Bharat, Somanath highlighted the need to master the transition from horizontal to vertical, referring to the challenge faced in a previous mission.
Chandrayaan-3 will undergo a series of maneuvers to achieve a safe lunar landing in a vertical position, a crucial step following the Chandrayaan-2 mission’s unsuccessful landing attempt.
The ISRO Chief noted that the challenge involves optimizing fuel usage, ensuring precise distance calculations, and ensuring the proper functioning of algorithms.
The specifications for the Vikram Lander’s touchdown include:
- Maximum mass at lunar touchdown: 800 kg
- Vertical Velocity: ≤ 2 m/sec
- Horizontal Velocity: ≤ 0.5 m/sec
- Slope: ≤ 12 degrees
The Chandrayaan-3 mission has a detailed timeline of milestones:
- July 6: ISRO announces the launch date for Mission Chandrayaan-3 as July 14 from Sriharikota’s second launch pad.
- July 7: Successful vehicle electrical tests are completed.
- July 11: A comprehensive 24-hour ‘Launch Rehearsal’ simulating the entire launch process concludes.
- July 14: The LVM3 M4 vehicle launches Chandrayaan-3 into its designated orbit.
- Various successful orbit-raising maneuvers are conducted in the subsequent days, leading to translunar insertion.
- August 1: Chandrayaan-3 is inserted into a translunar orbit.
- August 5: Successful lunar orbit insertion is achieved.
- August 6: Lunar orbit is adjusted.
- August 9: The spacecraft’s orbit around the moon is further adjusted.
- August 14: Chandrayaan-3 gets closer to the moon’s surface in another controlled move.
- August 16: The landing module separates from its propulsion system.
- August 18: The final orbit adjustment is made.
- August 23: A planned lunar touchdown attempt is scheduled.
ISRO acknowledges the possibility of rescheduling for September based on lunar factors.
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