ISRO, the Indian space agency, has announced that Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, is scheduled to launch on either July 12 or July 13 at 2.30 pm. The spacecraft will embark on a journey lasting slightly over a month, with an anticipated landing on the moon’s surface around August 23.
While the exact launch date is yet to be confirmed, S. Somanath, the Chairman of ISRO, stated that they are aiming to launch the mission as soon as possible, potentially on July 12 or July 13. The projected budget for the mission is Rs 615 crore.
According to reports, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has undergone testing and has been enclosed within the rocket’s heat shield at the Sriharikota rocket port in Andhra Pradesh. The primary objective of the mission is to successfully land the lander on the moon’s surface and deploy a rover for conducting various experiments.
Compared to the previous lander used in the Chandrayaan-2 mission, the current lander has undergone several modifications, including the use of four motors instead of five and certain software changes. However, specific details about the names of the lander and rover for this mission were not provided. It is possible that ISRO may retain the names of the earlier lander, Vikram, and rover, Pragyan.
An important addition to the upcoming Chandrayaan-3 mission is the inclusion of the Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload. This advanced equipment is designed to conduct extensive studies and collect valuable data on Earth’s spectral and polarimetric measurements from the lunar orbit.
The SHAPE payload will play a crucial role in expanding our understanding of Earth and advancing scientific research in the field of planetary exploration. ISRO has outlined three primary objectives for the Chandrayaan-3 mission: achieving a safe and gentle landing on the Moon, demonstrating the rover’s capabilities on the lunar surface, and conducting in-situ scientific observations.
