India: India is preparing to create history with its lunar mission set to land on the Moon, Earth’s only natural satellite. Chandrayaan-3, which means “mooncraft” in Sanskrit, is scheduled to put down its Vikram lander shortly after 6 PM India time near the little-explored lunar south pole in what would be a world first for any space programme.
The latest mission comes just days after Russia’s first moon mission in almost 50 years, destined for the same region, crashed on the lunar surface.
If Chandrayaan-3 is successful, India will be the first country to land near the Moon’s not-so-explored south pole and the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon. The US, the former Soviet Union, and China have all landed near the equator.
The spacecraft, with an orbiter, lander, and rover, lifted off on July 14 from the Sriharikota space centre in south India. The lander, called Vikram after Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) founder Vikram Sarabhai, carries a 26-kg rover named Pragyaan.
ISRO has announced plans for a live telecast of the landing. ISRO chief Mr. Sreedhara Panicker Somanath has commented that he is confident that Chandrayaan-3 will make a successful soft landing. In the past few days, the Vikram lander’s camera has been extensively mapping the lunar surface while attempting to locate a safe landing spot. According to a recent ISRO update, the mission “is on schedule, systems are undergoing regular checks, and smooth sailing is continuing”.
The landing date has been carefully selected to coincide with the start of a lunar day because the batteries of the lander and the rover will need sunlight to be able to charge and function.
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