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The Mark-III (LVM3) M4 launch vehicle with Chandrayaan-3 being transported to the launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota (PTI Photo)
During the 14 days of its mission, the probe and rover will search for water near the moon’s south pole and collect data on the important elements that make up the moon’s soil and its interesting atmosphere.
When ISRO’s powerful GSLV rocket lifts off from Sriharikota at 2.35pm on Friday, it will carry aboard India’s long-dreamed space. More than 50 years after American astronauts first set foot on lunar soil, India’s robotic spacecraft will make its first moon landing.
Going where its predecessor went in 2019, Chandrayaan-3 will target a relatively unexplored site near the moon’s south pole – an ever-dark region of tall mountains and deep craters. Here, scientists hope to find water ice trapped in its perpetually cold lower surface.
“It is expected that there will be water locked in the form of ice below the surface here. These are theories. No one has gone there to drill it yet. So, we will do the initial analysis and try to see if there is more water concentration,” said ISRO President, S. Somanath earlier to News18.
Water is a critical resource for any deep space mission. More so, when nations race to establish a permanent human presence on the moon over the next decade. In 2008, Chandrayaan-1 provided evidence of water on the moon’s sunlit surface. But scientists are still trying to figure out how much water and what form is actually trapped.
Find critical resources
After a successful landing, the probe and rover will begin a series of experiments to understand what has piqued scientists’ interest for years – the moon’s atmosphere and complex minerals (soils) that trap important elements such as magnesium, aluminum, potassium, iron and silica. With no air or wind, the Moon has preserved its fascinating history for billions of years that scientists are keen to explore.
Its thin and tenuous atmosphere, unlike Earth’s, consists of unusual gases that ionize and change with day and night. The mission will attempt to gather more data on its unique composition especially near the relatively cooler Antarctica – which is being monitored by countries like the United States and China.
The lander will also insert a probe about 10 cm into uneven lunar soil (regolith) to investigate what is actually made. It will go deeper and pass an electric current to measure the thermal and electrical properties of the surface. It will also drop an instrument on the surface to detect the directions of earthquakes on the moon through the vibrations it will produce.
Powered by sunlight, the 28-kilogram rover from the probe will move across the surface to study lunar soil and rocks around the landing site. It will use lasers to break down chemical composition – dissolving it and creating emissions – to study its unique compositions. The findings could pave the way for future exploration of lunar resources and a key life-sustaining component for astronauts and fuel for their spacecraft.
Lunar economy
A successful landing is sure to bring India into the elite club of spacefaring nations. But for India to claim its share of the upcoming lunar economy, it will have to deliver more in terms of its deep space capabilities as the world races to the moon.
The three space powers that have successfully landed on the Moon – the United States, China and the Soviet Union – are now looking forward to a permanent presence on the Moon. The plan is to build a lunar base that will double as a space gateway for astronauts to explore Mars – the next big destination.
NASA will return its astronauts to the moon in 2025 under the Artemis program, while Russia and China have teamed up to create the International Lunar Research Station and to carry out manned missions. China’s Chang’e-5 completed its trip to the Moon and returned to Earth in 24 days with the rock samples now being studied. The European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan are next. The UAE and Israel failed in their attempts to land on the moon.
The successful Chandrayaan-3 rocket will give impetus to India’s future deep space missions. With the demonstrated skill and ability to land on the moon, she can plan her future missions with the astronauts. The ISRO chief has already indicated the space agency’s plans to collaborate with Japan on the first moon landing. While Japan will develop the probe, ISRO will work on the mission’s science goals.
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