Chandrayaan is a series of Indian lunar space probes. The Chandrayaan missions are a major achievement for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). They have demonstrated India's ability to launch and operate complex spacecraft and to conduct cutting-edge scientific research.
CHANDRAYAAN -3: The first spacecraft to land on the lunar south pole
Launch: Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14, 2023, at 2:35 PM IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.
Orbit: The spacecraft entered the lunar orbit on August 2, 2023.
Landing: The lander, Vikram, successfully landed on the lunar surface on August 23, 2023.
Rover: The rover, Pragyan, was deployed from the lander on August 24, 2023.
Mission Objectives: The objectives of Chandrayaan-3 mission are to:
-Demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.
-Study the lunar surface and its composition.
-Search for water ice on the lunar surface.
-Study the lunar exosphere and its interaction with the solar wind.
-Conduct technology demonstrations for future lunar missions.
Here are the details of Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-1 mission:
Chandrayaan-2: Chandrayaan-2 was launched on July 22, 2019, at 2:43 PM IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. The mission consisted of an orbiter, lander (Vikram), and rover (Pragyan). The orbiter successfully entered the lunar orbit on August 20, 2019. However, the lander Vikram crash-landed on the lunar surface on September 7, 2019, due to a technical glitch. The rover Pragyan was successfully deployed from the orbiter on September 6, 2019, but it was unable to reach the lunar surface due to the crash of the lander.Objectives achieved:
- Took the first high-resolution images of the lunar surface.
- Discovered new lunar features, including a lava lake.
- Studied the lunar surface radiation environment.
Chandrayaan-1: Chandrayaan-1 was launched on October 22, 2008, at 6:22 PM IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. The mission consisted of an orbiter and an impactor. The orbiter successfully entered the lunar orbit on November 8, 2008, and it continued to orbit the moon until August 29, 2009. The impactor, Chandrayaan-1, was intentionally crashed into the lunar surface on November 14, 2008. The objectives achieved:
- Found evidence of water ice in the lunar polar regions.
- Discovered new lunar craters and mountains.
- Studied the lunar surface composition.
