Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, August 17: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully separated the Vikram lander from the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s propulsion module today at 1 pm, marking a significant advancement in India’s lunar exploration efforts.
The spacecraft is now one step closer to performing a soft lunar touchdown.
The lander, named Vikram Sarabhai after the founder of India’s space program, is equipped with the Pragyan rover. An important turning point in the mission has been reached with the lander’s separation from the propulsion module.
The lander will then be placed into a closer orbit around the Moon after that.
Currently, the Chandrayaan-3 mission is orbiting the Moon at a distance of 153 km x 163 km. The selection of the landing place will be the next significant event.
Instead of landing in a 500 square meters space during Chandrayaan-2, ISRO chose a location with a 4 km x 2.4 km area. This choice was taken to provide the landing attempt more flexibility.
Despite its difficult topography, the South Pole area of the Moon is a valued target for scientists because it may contain substantial amounts of ice. The extraction of fuel, oxygen and even drinking water may be facilitated by this.
The Pragyan rover and Vikram lander are anticipated to touch down on the lunar surface on August 23.
Though it was launched weeks after Chandrayaan-3, Russia’s Luna-25 mission poses a threat to them because it may touch down on the Moon two days earlier. Despite the tight scheduling, both missions are set to land in opposite locations, removing any chance of interference or collision.
The objectives of the Chandrayaan-3 mission are to show a secure and gentle landing on the lunar surface and conduct in-situ scientific experiments.
This mission succeeds Chandrayaan-2, which encountered difficulties in September 2019 when the Vikram lander deviated off course during the landing attempt and cut off communication.
Chandrayaan-3 has utilised lessons learnt from that mission, such as improving algorithms and software to reduce software glitches.
Both India’s Chandrayaan-3 and Russia’s Luna-25 are preparing for lunar landings next week as the world watches, intensifying the race to the unexplored south pole of the Moon.
