Chandrayaan-3: Tech involved in India's historic lunar mission
After the failure of Russia's Luna-25, the world's eyes are on the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. India's third space mission is set to land on the lunar South Pole tomorrow, August 23, and if it succeeds, India would become the fourth nation after the USA, China, and Russia to touch down on the Moon's surface. Chandrayaan-3 is packing the latest technology that is aiding the spacecraft to fly to the moon and then land on it. From spaceflight, landing, operations, and experiments, everything is dependent on the technology packed into this spacecraft, lander, and rover. Here's everything that you need to know about the technology aboard the Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module, lander, and rover.
Chandrayaan-3: Components
The Chandrayaan-3 has three components - a lander (Vikram), a rover (Pragyan), and a propulsion module. The lander and rover separated from the propulsion module on August 17 and commenced their descent toward the lunar surface. Meanwhile, the propulsion module will stay in orbit for months and years, and carry out its series of experiments.
According to ISRO's mission page, the Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module features a Spectropolarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload. As the propulsion module will continue in its orbit for some time, the payload will conduct a series of experiments such as measurements of variations in polarization from clouds on Earth, a spectroscopic analysis of Earth's atmosphere, and collect exoplanet signatures that would identify its habitability. Powering the propulsion module is a 440N Liquid Engine, with a star sensor, TTC antenna, and a solar panel helping it on its journey.
The Vikram lander will make a soft landing on August 23 and
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