Space
Chandrayaan-3 successfully lands on the moon
- India joined an elite list of countries — the Russia, U.S. and China — to achieve soft landing on the moon.
- India has also become the first nation to touch down on the polar region of the moon.
Evolution of Chandrayaan
- Chandrayaan-1
-
- It was India’s first mission to the moon
- Mission Director – Mylswamy Annadurai
- Launched – October 22, 2008
- Launch Vehicle – PSLV – C11
- The satellite orbited the moon more than 3,400 times.
- The mission concluded when communication with the spacecraft was lost on August 29, 2009.
- Achievement: The Chandrayaan-1 orbiter confirmed water on the moon using multiple instruments.
- Chandrayaan-2
- Mission Director – M Vanitha
- Launched – July 22, 2019
- Launch Vehicle – GSLV MkIII-M1
- It comprised an orbiter, a lander, and a rover to explore the South Pole region of the moon.
- In this mission, India made its first attempt to soft-land a robotic lander on the lunar surface but the mission failed.
- Chandrayaan-3
-
- Mission Director – P Veeramuthuvel
- Launched by an LVM-3 rocket on July 14, 2023 from Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) in Sriharikota.
- Lander – Vikram
- Rover – Pragyan
- Mission Life (Lander & Rover) – 1 Lunar Day (14 earth days)
- It consists of an indigenous Lander module (LM), Propulsion module (PM) and a Rover
Note
- As the lander and rover are charged by solar panels, the time at which they land should coincide with sunrise at their location on the moon.
About ISRO
- Chairman – S Somanath
- HQ – Bengaluru
- Founded – August 15, 1969