Prayers being held across the country for the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission.
Credit: PTI Photo
India is on its way to script history as its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft will attempt a soft landing on the uncharted south pole of the Moon on Wednesday -- a mission that will be closely observed not only in the country but across the world, more so in the wake of the failure of Russian Moon mission Luna-25.
If the mission succeeds (and we hope it does!) India will become only the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon.
All set for history and touchdown, here are the key points from the mission so far:
1) The Chandrayaan-3 is scheduled to land near the south polar region of the Moon at 6:04 pm today, which will be telecast live across the country. You can watch it on ISRO’s YouTube channel or website starting 5:27 pm. For further details click here.
2) If the mission succeeds in making a touchdown on the Moon, India will become the fourth country to master the technology of soft-landing on the lunar surface after the US, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union.
3) The ISRO has said that the module would undergo internal checks and await the sunrise at the designated landing site, while the powered descent is expected to begin at around 5:45 pm.
4) During the last-minute checks, if the health parameters of the lander module are found to be "abnormal" the space agency may postpone the touchdown to August 27. ISRO Space Applications Centre Director Nilesh Desai earlier told PTI if any health parameter (of the lander module) is found abnormal on August 23, then the landing will be postponed to August 27.
5) The Centre has, meanwhile, asked all universities and higher education institutions, including IITs and IIMs, to organise special assemblies to watch the live-streaming of Chandrayaan-3's landing on the Moon.
6) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is attending the BRICS summit in South Africa, will be witnessing the lunar landing virtually.
7) The Rs 600-crore Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 onboard Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket, for a 41-day voyage to reach near the lunar south pole.
8) The objectives of Chandrayaan-3 mission are to achieve safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, to demonstrate the rover's mobility on the Moon, and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments. ISRO has said India's pursuit of space exploration will reach a remarkable milestone with the lunar mission.
9) Chandrayaan-2 had failed in its lunar phase when its lander 'Vikram' crashed into the surface of the Moon minutes before the touch down following anomalies in the braking system in the lander while attempting a landing on September 7, 2019. Chandrayaan's maiden mission was in 2008.
(With PTI inputs)