Chandrayaan-3's soft-landing achieved, the rover module will now embark on its 14-day assignment to carry out the tasks mandated by the ISRO scientists. Its duties include experiments to further understand the lunar surface.
The rover 'Pragyan' which is in the belly of Lander Module is slated to come out to carry out series of experiments on the surface of the Moon later. The deployment of Rover to carry out in-situ scientific experiments would scale new heights in lunar expeditions, ISRO said.
More details here.
"India’s successful moon mission is not India’s alone. This is a year in which the world is witnessing India’s G20 presidency. Our approach of one earth, one family, one future is resonating across the globe."PM Narendra Modi
The lander is nearing the Moon surface as it undergoes its fine braking phase to attempt the soft landing.
Here's What Elon Musk And Jeff Bezos Said Ahead Of Chandrayaan-3 Moon Landing
As the nation eagerly awaits Chandrayaan-3 mission's Lander Module to soft land on the moon, do you know who the lander module is named after? Lander Module aka 'Vikram' is named after Vikram Sarabhai (1919–1971) who is widely recognised as the father of the Indian space programme.
Dr Sarabhai is often called as the father of the Indian space programme. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962, which later evolved into the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1969.
Recognising the potential of satellite technology for a country as vast as India, Dr Sarabhai was convinced of the role space technology could play in the nation's development. Under his leadership, India sent its first satellite, Aryabhata, into space in 1975. He also laid the foundation for the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in Kerala.
Read on to know more about Vikram Sarabhai.
"It is a very proud feeling for us because the lander has been named after Vikram Sarabhai. But, this pride is for all of us, not just the immediate family. Different components of this lander are made by different people. So it actually integrated so much of India into it. Scientists from all over the country were involved. It represents new India."Kartikeya Sarabhai to PTI
Read the full conversation here.
Chandrayaan-3 — India's third space mission to the Moon — after a month-long journey is all set to create history on Wednesday. The Lander Module will attempt to touch down near the South Pole of the Moon today. A successful soft-landing will make India the first country to venture into this uncharted region of the Earth's natural satellite.
The Lander Module, comprising the lander 'Vikram' and rover 'Pragyan', will demonstrate safe and soft-landing on the Moon's surface, roving on the Moon, and conduct in-situ scientific experiments.
The lander houses seven scientific payloads. These include Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment, or ChaSTE, to measure the thermal conductivity and temperature; an Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity for measuring the seismicity around the landing site, and a Langmuir Probe to estimate the plasma density and its variations. A passive Laser Retroreflector Array from NASA also part of the payload, and will be used for lunar laser ranging studies.
The rover carries two payloads — a LASER Induced Breakdown Spectroscope and an Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer — to ascertain the elemental composition around the landing site of Chandrayaan-3.
The Propulsion Module ferrying the Lander Module also has Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth payload to study the spectral and Polari metric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit. It will be operated after the latter separates from it.
The mission life of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon's surface will be of one lunar day, which is equivalent to 14 days on the Earth.
The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter currently in the Moon's orbit has established two-way communication with the Chandrayaan-3 Lander Module, ISRO announced on Monday.
Consequently, the Mission Operations Complex now has more routes to reach the Lander Module.
Complete Timeline Of ISRO's Chandrayaan 3 Mission - The Journey So Far