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Its success: India celebrates as Chandrayaan 3 is successfully launched and is en route to the Moon!

By alagu, 14 July, 2023
Chandrayaan 3, Chandrayaan, ISRO, India

India is celebrating a moment of pride as the country's big lunar mission is successfully launched and the spacecraft, Chandrayaan 3, is now en route to the Moon. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has launched the spacecraft in a Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) at 2.35 pm on Friday- July 14 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. 

The entire nation was watching the launch with bated breath and when the rocket pierced into the clouds, the country was in cloud nine that the launch would bear fruit of successfully landing on the unexplored South pole side of the Moon. Chandrayaan 3 is India's third lunar mission and it has come four years after the launch of Chandrayaan 2, which eventually had become partial failure. 

Chandrayaan 3 was successfully launched by the country's biggest rocket, weighing over 600 ton, LVM3 and it will begin its exploration of the Moon where its predecessor Chandrayaan 2 left off, after getting crashed on the Moon's surface. If Chandrayaan 3 mission becomes successful, India will script a history as the first country in the world to soft-land near the Moon's south pole and the fourth country ever after the former USSR, the United States, and China to land a spacecraft on the Moon.

Moments after the launch, ISRO announced that the rocket has successfully launched Chandrayaan 3 into orbit and that the health of the spacecraft is normal. Taking to Twitter, the space agency wrote, "LVM3/M4 vehicle successfully launched Chandrayaan-3 into orbit. Chandrayaan- 3, in its precise orbit, has begun its journey to the Moon. Health of the Spacecraft is normal."

In 16 minutes into its flight around 2.50 pm, the rocket had successfully ejected the Chandrayaan - 3 spacecraft at an altitude of about 179 km. Chandrayaan -3 has begun its journey to the Moon, traveling a distance of 3.84 lakh km and the spacecraft is expected to make a soft landing on the Moon on August 23. Chandrayaan 3's objective will be to explore the lunar surface, conduct scientific experiments, and gather valuable data to pour more light on the Moon's geology and its evolution. 

Chandrayaan 3 will feature a Lander Module (LM), a Propulsion Module (PM), and a rover. The LM will facilitate a soft landing, while the PM will handle propulsion and control. The rover's role will be to explore the lunar surface and gather scientific data. The lander and rover are specifically designed to function for a single lunar daylight period and this is equivalent to 14 Earth days.

The biggest difference between the Chandrayaan 2 and Chandrayaan 3 missions is that while Chandrayaan 2 is comprised of an orbiter, Vikram lander, and Pragyan rover, Chandrayaan 3 will be launched with just a lander and a rover. Chandrayaan 3 will be using the orbiter launched by its predecessor for its communications and terrain mapping requirements. 

The lander in the Chandrayaan 3 mission is built with stronger legs and even it descends on the Moon's surface in an increased velocity, the legs of the lander will neither be crashed nor would be broken. It has also been reported that Chandrayaan 3's lander will touch down on the Moon's surface in a site that is 100 kilometres far from the site where the lander of Chandrayaan 2 got crashed. 

Chandrayaan 3 mission has three objectives - 1) to demonstrate safe and soft landing on Lunar Surface, 2) to demonstrate rover roving on the Moon, 3) to conduct in-situ scientific experiments. India has already found the presence of water on the Moon through Chandrayaan 1 and now, the country is all set to rewrite history through the crucial discoveries from Chandrayaan 3. South Pole side of the Moon is said to be a tough terrain where no spacecraft has landed so far and when India's mission to land on the south side through Chandrayaan 2 had failed, the time has come to accomplish the mission. 

Chandrayaan 2 was launched on July 22, 2019 and after four years, India has now witnessed the launch of another lunar exploration. As the country is celebrating the successful launch of Chandrayaan 3, the ISRO team behind the mission and the space agency are being praised by the people for their unwavering lunar mission. Several leaders and celebrities have congratulated the scientists and hailed their commitments. 

President Droupadi Murmu wrote, "India successfully launches Chandrayaan-3 marking another significant milestone in space exploration. Heartiest congratulations to the ISRO team and everyone who worked relentlessly to accomplish the feat! It demonstrates the nation's unwavering commitment to advancement in space science and technology. My best wishes for the success of the lunar mission." In the midst of his French tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and wrote, "Chandrayaan-3 scripts a new chapter in India's space odyssey. It soars high, elevating the dreams and ambitions of every Indian. This momentous achievement is a testament to our scientists' relentless dedication. I salute their spirit and ingenuity!".

 

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