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Paris [France], March 30 (ANI): Director General of the <keyword id="20681418" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="european-space-agency" source="keywords">European Space Agency</keyword> (<keyword id="191401" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ESA" source="Orion">ESA</keyword>), <keyword id="21132866" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="josef-aschbacher" source="keywords">Josef Aschbacher</keyword>, has heaped praise on the <keyword id="19915130" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-space-research-organisation" source="keywords">Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> (<keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ISRO" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword>) for its recent successful launches and said that India's accomplishments in space and especially in lunar exploration is 'astonishing'. Aschbacher posted an appreciation post on X, after ESA hosted its 323rd Council meeting in Paris which was attended by the ISRO Chairman, S Somanath. ESA Member States met in Paris, France, for the 323rd session of the ESA Council on March 26 and 27, 2024. The European scientist also underscored that the significance of strengthening ties and deepening cooperation with international partners cannot be underestimated. "What India is accomplishing in space - especially in Lunar exploration - is astonishing. We hosted ISRO's Chairman, Dr. S. Somanath at ESA Council today. It was a milestone occasion for Delegates to learn more about current and future plans for ESA-ISRO cooperation," he posted on X. "The strategic importance of strengthening ties and deepening cooperation with international partners cannot be underestimated," he added. <div type="twitter" handle="AschbacherJosef" handlename="AschbacherJosef" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1773071288686264521"></div> Additionally, Astronaut <keyword id="20326710" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="thomas-pesquet" source="keywords">Thomas Pesquet</keyword> also shared about meeting with the ISRO chairman and the ESA Director and said that they witnessed enthusiastic exchanges between the two leaders. "Very proud to welcome ISRO chairman Shri. S. Somanath at ESA HQ in Paris yesterday, with our director Josef Aschbacher. Enthusiastic exchanges between the two men, and abounding cooperation opportunities between the two organisations. Let's co-travel to space together!" he posted on X. <div type="twitter" handle="Thom_astro" handlename="Thom_astro" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1773399899498803577"></div> In a stellar display of prowess, India soared to new heights in 2023 with the successful soft landing of <keyword id="8011274" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan-3" source="Orion">Chandrayaan-3</keyword> on the South Pole of the Moon and the launch of <keyword id="5998804" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aditya-L1" source="Orion">Aditya-L1</keyword>, India's first solar mission. These milestones not only secured India's standing in the global space economy but also fueled the engines for the private space sector in India. On August 23, 2023, the Chandrayaan-3 mission created history with the successful soft landing on Moon's surface. India is now the first nation to reach near the Moon's unexplored South Pole and ranks amongst the top four nations to carry out a soft landing on the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-3 is India's third lunar mission and the second attempt to land softly on the moon's surface. It's part of the Chandrayaan program, a series of missions developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to explore the moon. The mission consists of a Vikram lunar lander, a Pragyan lunar rover, and a propulsion module that carries the spacecraft from Earth orbit to lunar orbit. Additionally, in a major milestone, India placed its first dedicated solar mission, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, in the Halo orbit. The country went gaga over this historic achievement, especially since this mission came at the back of India's moon landing, the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Aditya-L1 reached Lagrange Point L1 which is about 1.5 million km from earth. The PSLV-C57.1 rocket carrying the Aditya-L1 orbiter lifted off successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, in September.

European Space Agency Director praises ISRO, calls India's accomplishments in space "astonishing"

President Droupadi Murmu, on Friday visited an exhibition to showcase space technologies and achievements, at Bharat Mandapam, on the maiden <keyword id="22301946" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="National-Space-Day" source="keywords">National Space Day</keyword>. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh and <keyword id="19915124" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ISRO" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="ISRO" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="ISRO">ISRO</keyword> Chairman S Somanath were also present. <keyword id="19939985" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="President-Murmu" source="keywords">President Murmu</keyword> extended her greetings on the occasion of the first National Space Day and welcomed the decision to celebrate Space Day on the day <keyword id="19990220" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan" source="keywords">Chandrayaan</keyword> landed on the <keyword id="19899207" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="moon" source="keywords">Moon</keyword>. "It was a glorious moment for all the Indians when ISRO's Chandrayaan landed on the moon. I saw the live telecast of that moment, I was so proud that day like other Indians. To celebrate National Space Day on this occasion is a commendable step. I congratulate all of you on the first National Space Day. ISRO has achieved many feats since its inception". She also expressed her happiness with the student's participation in the event "Happy to see students' participation in this event." Highlighting the significance of <keyword id="19929542" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-exploration" source="keywords">space exploration</keyword>, she added "Space exploration has extended human's ability and help complete the imagination of humankind. Space exploration is exciting and challenging at the same time. Health, transportation, environment, energy, security and information technology are benefitted due to the growth in the <keyword id="20242397" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-sector" source="keywords">space sector</keyword>". The president termed the growth of the ISRO as extraordinary, "The growth of <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword>'s space sector is extraordinary, be it Mangalyan mission that was accomplished through minimum resources or launching more than 100 satellites at a time. we have achieved many such feats". She also praised the introduction of private players in the space sector in the country, "Introducing of the private sector in Indian has led to the formation of many <keyword id="22829456" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-start-ups" source="keywords">space start-ups</keyword> in India. This has allowed the youths of India to explore the space sector". Expressing her happiness about ISRO's plan to make <keyword id="20793131" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-mission" source="keywords">space mission</keyword> debris-free she said "I am happy that India is moving towards making India's space mission debris-free by 2030". India celebrated its first-ever National Space Day on Friday on the theme "Touching Lives While Touching the Moon: India's Space Saga". On 23 August 2023, India achieved a historic milestone when the Chandrayaan-3 lander completed a soft landing on the moon. This remarkable accomplishment made India the 4th country to accomplish this feat and the 1st to land on the lunar South Pole. In recognition of this achievement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared August 23 as National Space Day.

"A glorious moment for all Indians when Chandrayaan landed on moon" says President Murmu on National Space Day

Bengaluru, The <keyword id="16816527" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="propulsion-module" source="Orion">Propulsion Module</keyword> (PM) of Chandrayaan-3 has been moved from an orbit around the Moon to an orbit around Earth, <keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword> has said, terming the operation a unique experiment. The primary objective of the <keyword id="15331763" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="chandrayaan-3-mission" source="Orion">Chandrayaan-3 mission</keyword> was to demonstrate a soft landing near the lunar south polar region and perform experiments using the instruments on the 'Vikram' lander and the 'Pragyan' rover. The spacecraft was launched on July 14, 2023, on board the LVM3-M4 vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR). On August 23, the Vikram lander made its historic touchdown on the Moon and subsequently, the Pragyan rover was deployed. The scientific instruments in the lander and rover were operated continuously for one lunar day as per the defined mission life. "The mission objectives of Chandrayaan-3 have been completely met," the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement. For the Propulsion Module, the main objective was to ferry the lander module from the Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) to the final lunar polar circular orbit and separate the lander, it said. After the separation, the Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload in the PM was also operated, the space agency said. The initial plan was to operate this payload for about three months during the mission life of the PM. The precise orbit injection by LVM3 and optimal earth or lunar burn manoeuvres resulted in the availability of over 100 kg of fuel in the PM after over one month of operations in the lunar orbit, it added. ISRO said that it was decided to use the available fuel in the PM to derive additional information for future lunar missions and demonstrate the mission operation strategies for a sample return mission. To continue the SHAPE payload for earth observation, it was decided to re-orbit the PM to a suitable earth orbit. This mission plan was worked out considering collision avoidance such as preventing the PM from crashing onto the Moon's surface or entering into the Earth's Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (GEO) belt at 36,000 km and orbits below that, the statement said. Considering the estimated fuel availability and the safety of the GEO spacecraft, the optimal earth return trajectory was designed for October 2023. The first maneuver was performed on October 9, 2023, to raise apolune altitude to 5,112 km from 150 km thus increasing the period of orbit from 2.1 hours to 7.2 hours. Later, considering the estimate of available propellant, the second manoeuvre plan was revised to target an Earth orbit of 1.8 lakh x 3.8 lakh km. The Trans-Earthinjection (TEI) maneuver was performed on October 13, 2023. In the post-TEI manoeuvre realised orbit, the PM made four Moon fly-bys before departing the sphere of influence (SOI) of the Moon on November 10. Currently, the PM is orbiting Earth and crossed its first perigee on November 22 with an altitude of 1.54 lakh km. The orbit period is nearly 13 days with a 27-degree inclination. The perigee and apogee altitude vary during its trajectory and the predicted minimum perigee altitude is 1.15 lakh km, ISRO said. "Hence as per current orbit prediction, there is no threat of close approach with any operational Earth-orbiting satellites," it said. As per the plan, the SHAPE payload is being operated whenever Earth is in its field of view. Also, a special operation of the SHAPE payload was carried out on October 28, 2023, during a solar eclipse. The SHAPE payload operations will continue further, the statement added. "UR Rao Satellite Centre/ISRO's flight dynamics team has developed an analysis tool from first principles for this operation which is being validated through the return maneuvers carried out for the Chandrayaan-3 PM," ISRO said. According to ISRO, the following are the main outcomes of the return manoeuvres carried out on the PM related to future missions: Planning and execution of trajectory and manoeuvres to return from the Moon to Earth; development of a software module to plan such a manoeuvre and its preliminary validation; planning and execution of a gravity-assisted fly-by across a planet or celestial body; and avoiding uncontrolled crashing of the PM onto the Moon's surface at the end of life of the PM thus meeting the requirements of no debris creation.

ISRO moves Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module to orbit around Earth in unique experiment

New Delhi, What was known in theory has now been confirmed twice. The Chandrayaan-3 mission has authenticated the presence of sulphur on the lunar south pole region after on site tests, a historical first that could provide clues to the origins of the Moon and also have profound significance for space exploration, say scientists. On Thursday, India's space agency ISRO said the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectroscope (APXS) instrument onboard the Pragyan rover confirmed the presence of sulphur and some other elements in the lunar south. Before that, on Tuesday, ISRO announced that another instrument, the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS), found sulphur in the region. In line with expectations, ISRO also reported the LIBS instrument had detected aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon and oxygen. "The elements found on the Moon are not merely isolated compounds. They are time capsules carrying the whispers of cosmic history. Such findings not only reshape our comprehension of lunar formations but also offer potential prospects for lunar exploration and habitation," Akash Sinha, who was involved in developing software for the Pragyan rover, told PTI. "One prevailing theory is that the sulphur may be trapped within water ice, implying that we might be on the brink of a monumental discovery: the physical presence of water ice on the moon," the professor of practice at Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence in Delhi-NCR added. An old undated document from the US space agency NASA suggested the potential utilisation of sulphur for making lunar bricks or concrete using it with moon soil. Interestingly, China's reported plans to test printing bricks from lunar soil this decade for constructing a permanent moon base align with this idea. The revelation of sulphur's presence might hold clues to the Moon's composition and its volcanic past, scientists said. "Surface sulphur comes from volcanic activity, indicating heavy volcanism at some point in the Moon's history. However, the detection is from only one spot, so we need more data to gain a clearer picture," said T V Venkateswaran, a scientist at Vigyaan Prasar, an autonomous organisation under the Department of Science and Technology (DST). Sinha added that the discovery of sulphur represents a significant breakthrough in the understanding of lunar geology. "The presence of sulphur, especially in an area where volcanic activity-a common source of sulphur-is notably absent opens up intriguing possibilities about the origins of the Moon," he said. According to astrophysicist Sandip Chakrabarti, the in-situ measurements definitively confirm sulphur's presence in the region, a feat beyond the capabilities of the instruments on the previous Chandrayaan 1 and 2 orbiters. "The compositions show abundant lighter metals such as aluminium and also abundant sulphur and iron. Sulphur could come from lunar volcanoes. Only traces of heavy metals such as titanium, and chromium, were found. These are along the expected lines," Chakrabarti, director of the Indian Center for Space Physics in Kolkata, told PTI. These elements, he explained, aren't in their pure form and would need processing for future extraction. "The discoveries made by Chandrayaan-3 hold vast implications for lunar exploration. Beyond the allure of space travel, the presence of these elements paints a vivid picture of the Moon's character," Chakrabarti reflected. Experts also believe that aluminium's lightweight strength could become a resource for future missions, potentially transforming the Moon into a launchpad for further space exploration. Calcium's critical role in biological processes could fuel discussions about the Moon's potential as a scientific research hub. Chakrabarti expressed his enthusiasm for Pragyan's contribution. "It is indeed heartening that Pragyan is actually sending the composition of the topsoil of the landing area, namely, Shiv-Shakti point." He also highlighted the need for helium, hydrogen and water for future space travel, survival and power generation. "Right now, we are concentrating on survival on the Moon and not getting richer," he added. ISRO has initiated a thorough investigation into the presence of hydrogen. Venkateswaran, who is also a member of the outreach committee of the Astronomical Society of India, emphasised the rover's role in confirming a finding from Chandrayaan-1 about hydrogen particles reflected by the Moon's surface in 2008. "We do need to see water in any of its forms and hydrogen. That would be a genuine achievement," Chakrabarti added. Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the lunar south pole on August 23, making India the first country to land on the uncharted surface.

Chandrayaan's detection of sulphur, other elements will help unveil Moon's mysteries, say experts

New Delhi [India], July 13 (ANI): <keyword id="8011274" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="chandrayaan-3" source="Orion">Chandrayaan-3</keyword>, India's third lunar exploration mission, will make India the fourth country to land its spacecraft on the surface of the moon and demonstrate the country's abilities for safe and soft landing on lunar surface. The countdown for the launch of the mission began on Thursday at 14:35:17 IST ahead of take-off on Friday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The spacecraft will be launched on a GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle. This will be Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) follow-up attempt after the Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing in 2019. The 'Launch Rehearsal' simulating the entire launch preparation and process has been concluded by the ISRO. A day ahead of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, a team of ISRO scientists on Thursday visited and offered prayers at Tirupathi Venkatachalapathy Temple in Andhra Pradesh with a miniature model of Chandrayaan-3. If all goes well, Chandrayaan-3 will be the first spacecraft to land on Moon's South Pole, demonstrating India's technical prowess and bold spacefaring ambitions. Chandrayaan-3 mission will demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, rover roving on the moon and conducting in-situ scientific experiments. ISRO invited citizens to witness the launch of the much-awaited Chandrayaan-3 from the viewing gallery at Sriharikota. During the Chandrayaan-2 mission, ISRO lost contact with the lander when it was just a notch away from the moon's surface. The journey from Earth to the moon for the to-be-launched spacecraft is estimated to take around a month and the landing is expected on August 23. Upon landing, it will operate for one lunar day, which is approximately 14 Earth days. One day on Moon is equal to 14 days on Earth. K Sivan, former director of ISRO, told that the success of mission Chandrayan-3 will give a morale boost to programs like Gaganyan. "We understood what went wrong with Chandrayan-2 when we could not land on the moon's surface, we recreated the failure modes and we ensured that this time we have success. The challenge is the same as Chandrayan-2, same environment for landing. This time we hope that we have done enough based on the lesson of Chandrayan-2 that gives us more confidence. In space there are always unknown unknowns...hope that all issues are addressed and that we emerge with success," he said. "We are getting tech landing on a celestial body. By landing successfully, we will acquire landing technology and it will be good for future generations. A number of scientific experiments are planned and scientists will have more knowledge of the moon's geology and the earth's origin," he added. Mylswamy Annadurai, Mission Director of Chandrayaan-1, said Chandrayaan-3 is a very important mission. "We have shown that we can orbit, but we could not do a soft landing, By doing so this time we can show that Chandrayan-1 was not an isolated success. Internationally, the world is looking back to the moon, the real seeding for that came from Chandrayaan-1. So we need to make this mission successful," he told ANI. "Hard lessons were learnt from Chandrayaan 1 and 2. At every step, we are supposed to have a plan B. There were some setbacks in Chandrayaan- 2. This time we are back on track. We are clear on what we want to do and it will ensure we can softly land on the surface of the moon. The target of landing is also larger, all elements have been tested multiple times, we hope this is a success...," he added. Chandrayaan-3's development phase commenced in January 2020 with plans to launch it somewhere in 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays in the development process. The major discovery of the Chandrayaan-1 mission, launched in 2008, is the detection of water (H2O) and hydroxyl (OH) on the lunar surface. Data also revealed their enhanced abundance towards the polar region. The primary science objective of the mission was to prepare a three-dimensional atlas of both the near and far sides of the Moon and to conduct chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface with high spatial resolution, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre under ISRO had said. Moon serves as a repository of earth's past and a successful lunar mission by India will help in enhancing life on Earth and prepare to explore the rest of the solar system - and beyond. Director of Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO), S Somanath, had said that if everything goes well, the spacecraft will land on the moon on August 23. The date has been decided based on sunrise on the moon but if it gets delayed, then landing may take place next month, he said. (ANI)

Chandrayaan 3: Countdown starts for India's third moon mission

Bengaluru, <keyword id="8011274" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan-3" source="Orion">Chandrayaan-3</keyword> spacecraft moved closer to the Moon's surface on Wednesday after it underwent another orbit reduction maneuver, <keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ISRO" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword> said.India's ambitious third Moon mission's spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 after the launch on July 14, had entered into lunar orbit or the Moon's orbit on August 5. "Even closer to the moon's surface. Chandrayaan-3's orbit is reduced to 174 km x 1437 km following a maneuver performed today," ISRO said in a tweet. The next operation is scheduled for August 14, between 11.30 am and 12.30 pm, ISRO said. A similar orbit reduction maneuver was carried out by the ISRO on Sunday. As the mission progresses, a series of maneuvers is being conducted by ISRO to gradually reduce Chandrayaan-3's orbit and position it over the lunar poles. According to ISRO sources, there will be two more orbit reduction maneuvers to bring the spacecraft closer to the Moon. These maneuvers will be performed on August 14 and 16 to reach 100 km orbit, following which the landing module, comprising the lander and rover will break away from the propulsion module. After this, the lander is expected to undergo a "deboost" (the process of slowing down) and make a soft landing on the south polar region of the Moon on August 23. Over five moves in the three weeks since the July 14 launch, ISRO had lifted the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft into orbits farther and farther away from the Earth. Then, on August 1 in a key maneuver -- a slingshot move -- the spacecraft was sent successfully towards the Moon from Earth's orbit. Following this trans-lunar injection, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft escaped from orbiting the Earth and began following a path that would take it to the vicinity of the moon. Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. It consists of lander and rover configuration. It comprises an indigenous propulsion module, lander module, and a rover with an objective of developing and demonstrating new technologies required for inter-planetary missions. The propulsion module will carry the lander and rover configuration till 100 km lunar orbit. The propulsion module has Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the spectral and polarimetric measurements of earth from the lunar orbit. The mission objectives of Chandrayaan-3 are to demonstrate safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, to demonstrate rover roving on the Moon, and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments. The lander will have the capability to soft land at a specified lunar site and deploy the rover that will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the Moon's surface during the course of its mobility. The lander and the rover have scientific payloads to carry out experiments on the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3 gets closer to the Moon's surface: ISRO

Chennai, Indian space agency on Thursday afternoon successfully detached the <keyword id="2544696" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="moon-lander" source="Orion">moon lander</keyword> from the main spacecraft <keyword id="8011274" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan-3" source="Orion">Chandrayaan-3</keyword>. The <keyword id="17581471" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan-3-spacecraft" source="Orion">Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft</keyword> comprises a propulsion module (weighing 2,148 kg), a lander (1,723.89 kg) and a rover (26 kg). "Thanks for the ride, mate! said the Lander Module (LM). LM is successfully separated from the Propulsion Module (PM). LM is set to descend to a slightly lower orbit upon a deboosting planned for tomorrow around 1600 Hrs., IST," Indian Space Research Organisation (<keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ISRO" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword>) tweeted. According to ISRO, the lander was separated from the propulsion module at an orbit of 153 km x 163 km around the <keyword id="42440" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="moon" source="Orion">moon</keyword>. Meanwhile, the Propulsion Module continues its journey in the current orbit for months/years, said ISRO. "The SHAPE payload onboard it would perform spectroscopic study of the Earth's atmosphere and measure the variations in polarization from the clouds on Earth - to accumulate signatures of Exoplanets that would qualify for our habitability! This payload is SHAPEd by U R Rao Satellite Centre/ISRO, Bengaluru," ISRO added. The main purpose of India's third moon mission costing about Rs 600 crore is to land the lander softly on the moon. The Chandrayaan-2 mission failed as the lander called 'Vikram' crashed on to the moon. According to the ISRO, the lander is expected to make a soft-landing near the South Pole of the moon on August 23 at 5.47 p.m. The lander will descend to the moon from a height of about 100 km from the moon's surface. The soft landing is a tricky issue as it involves a series of complex manoeuvres consisting of rough and fine braking. Imaging of the landing site region prior to landing will be done for finding safe and hazard-free zones. Subsequent to the soft landing, the six-wheeled rover will roll out and carry out experiments on the lunar surface for a period of one lunar day which is equal to 14 earth days. The Chandrayaan-3 was put into orbit on July 14 in a copybook style by India's heavy lift rocket LVM3. The spacecraft completed orbiting around the earth and headed towards the moon on August 1. On that day a successful perigee-firing performed at ISTRAC, the ISRO had injected the spacecraft into the translunar orbit.

India's moon lander separates from main Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft

New Delhi [India], July 14 (ANI): With only hours left for the lift-off, anticipation is building around the launch <keyword id="18004590" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indias-third-lunar-exploration-mission" source="Orion">India's third lunar exploration mission</keyword>, <keyword id="8011274" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="chandrayaan-3" source="Orion">Chandrayaan-3</keyword>, by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on Friday. The GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle, which will release the moon <keyword id="1609912" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lander" source="Orion">lander</keyword> and rover into space, will lift off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota at 2.30 pm. The countdown for the launch began on Thursday at 14:35:17 IST, ahead of the lift-off on Friday. Chandrayaan-3 will be ISRO's follow-up attempt after the <keyword id="229677" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="chandrayaan-2-mission" source="Orion">Chandrayaan-2 mission</keyword> faced challenges during its <keyword id="943223" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="soft-landing" source="Orion">soft landing</keyword> on the lunar surface in 2019 and was eventually deemed to have failed its mission objectives. The 'Launch Rehearsal' simulating the entire launch preparation and process was concluded earlier by the ISRO. Chandrayaan-3 is equipped with a lander, <keyword id="18004591" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="a-rover-and-a-propulsion-module" source="Orion">a rover and a propulsion module</keyword>. It weighs around 3,900 kilograms. The ISRO's third lunar exploration mission is equipped with eight payloads. The experiments to be carried out by Chandrayan 3 include the Vikram lander (named after Space scientist Vikram Sarabhai) which will carry 4 instruments, Pragyan (Saanskrit for Wisdom) rover will carry two instruments and Propulsion Module or the Orbiter will carry one experiment. Vikram lander's experiments include Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) to measure surface thermal properties, Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) to measure seismicity around the landing site, Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA) to study the gas and plasma environment, and Passive laser retroreflector array provided by NASA for lunar ranging studies. While the Pragyan (Saanskrit for Wisdom) rover will carry two instruments to study the surface elemental composition - Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) that will help determine the elemental composition of the lunar soil and rocks around the landing site and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) which will conduct qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis in order to infer the chemical and mineralogical composition of the lunar surface. The Propulsion Module or the Orbiter will carry Spectropolarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) to study Earth's spectral and polarimetric measurements from lunar orbit. This helps scientists analyse the reflected light from exoplanets and determine whether they would qualify for habitability. The journey from Earth to the moon for the spacecraft is estimated to take about a month and the landing is expected on August 23. Upon landing, it will operate for one lunar day, which is approximately 14 Earth days. One day on the Moon is equal to 14 days on Earth. K Sivan, former director of ISRO, told that the success of mission Chandrayan-3 will give a morale boost to programmes like Gaganyan, India's first manned space mission. Chandrayaan-3's development phase commenced in January 2020 with the launch planned sometime in 2021, but the Covid-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen delay to the mission's progress. The major discovery of the Chandrayaan-1 mission, launched in 2008, was the detection of water (H2O) and hydroxyl (OH) on the lunar surface. Data mined by the rover then also revealed their enhanced abundance towards the polar region. The primary science objective of the mission was to prepare a three-dimensional atlas of both the near and far sides of the Moon and to conduct chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface with high spatial resolution, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre under ISRO had said. Moon serves as a repository of the Earth's past and a successful lunar mission by India will help enhance life on Earth while also enabling it explore the rest of the solar system and beyond. Director of Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO), S Somanath, said earlier that if everything goes well, the spacecraft will land on the moon on August 23. The date has been decided based on the sunrise on the moon, he said, adding that if it gets delayed, the landing may take place next month. (ANI)

Chandrayaan-3 mission: Only hours left for the lift-off

A mission to study the Sun, and launching a climate observation satellite, a test vehicle as part of Gaganyaan human space flight programme and an Indo-US synthetic aperture radar -- <keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword> has a packed schedule ahead. In addition, XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite), the country's first dedicated polarimetry mission to study various dynamics of bright astronomical X-ray sources in extreme conditions, is also ready for launch, an ISRO official said on Tuesday. Aditya-L1, the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun, is getting ready for the launch, most likely in September first week. According to ISRO Chairman, Somanath S, the space agency has also lined up the launch of a climate observation satellite INSAT-3DS. The launch of a test vehicle mission, for the validation of the crew escape system for Gaganyaan, the country's maiden human space flight mission, is also expected soon. "(Then) we have to launch NISAR, the India-US built Synthetic Aperture Radar", Somanath said in his independence day address at ISRO headquarters here on August 15. "So, our hands are full." "We are going to build a large number of satellites for our security purpose as well in the coming days," Somanath had said. According to ISRO officials, NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observatory being jointly developed by US space agency NASA and ISRO. NISAR will map the entire globe in 12 days and provide spatially and temporally consistent data for understanding changes in Earth's ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea level rise, ground water and natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides, they said. "It carries L and S dual band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), which operates with Sweep SAR technique to achieve large swath with high resolution data. The SAR payloads mounted on Integrated Radar Instrument Structure (IRIS) and the spacecraft bus are together called an observatory", an ISRO official noted. Before undertaking the Gaganyaan human space (manned) flight mission, ISRO has planned two unmanned missions. "We are getting ready for the (first of the two) unmanned crew module mission by the beginning of next year", an ISRO official said. The objective of the Gaganyaan mission is to demonstrate the capability of conducting human space flight mission to LEO on-board Indian Launch vehicle. The Orbital module consists of a Crew module and a Service module. Crew module, which is a pressurised module, acts as living quarters for the crew. The orbital module will be positioned in approximately 400 km circular orbit around earth for one to 3 days &amp; the crew module will return at the designated location at sea. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/news/how-to-find-unclaimed-bank-deposits-using-udgam-portal/articleshow/102830161.cms">Have unclaimed bank deposits? Here’s how to find it using UDGAM portal</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indian-pc-market-declines-for-fourth-consecutive-quarter-reports-15-decline/articleshow/102822733.cms">Indian PC market declines for fourth consecutive quarter, reports 15% decline</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/gboard-checkout-upcoming-features-of-google-app/articleshow/102649444.cms">Gboard to onboard AI for stickers, proofreading and more</a>

A packed launch schedule for ISRO after Chandrayaan-3 mission

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-india-israel-failed-moon-landings-failed-final-descent-2019-9">India</a> plans to build on its historic lunar landing by sending people to the moon.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/watch-india-attempt-first-ever-moon-landing-2023-8">India landed its first lunar spacecraft</a>, and the first robotic mission near <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-scientist-microbial-life-hiding-on-moon-south-pole-2023-6">the moon's south pole</a>.</li></ul>Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="Orion">Narendra Modi</keyword> confirmed <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>'s intention to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-helping-private-companies-build-business-moon-make-lunar-billions-2023-6">send people to the moon</a> in the near future as the nation celebrated the successful landing of the world's first-ever robotic mission to the lunar south pole region.India's Chandrayaan-3 probe defeated all odds on August 23 after it managed to successfully land near the south pole of the moon, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-launches-mission-beat-us-india-moon-south-pole-rover-2023-8">beating competing nations</a> to the strategically important site. With the landing, India has become the fourth nation — after Russia, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-china-race-to-the-moon-photos-launches-2022-11">the US, and China</a> — to land on the moon."It definitely puts them on the international stage as an emerging space power," Robert Braun, head of space exploration at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, told Insider.The nation will build on this mission success by launching its first <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moon-missions-why-astronauts-have-not-returned-2018-7">crewed mission to the moon</a>, Modi said in Hindi during a livestream of the landing, Sky News <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/india-moon-landing-live-updates-chandrayaan-3-making-historic-bid-to-reach-south-pole-of-lunar-surface-12945600" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.<div type="image" title="room full of men watches narendra modi on a screen under a white ceiling" height="1499" width="1999" msid="102995553" hostid="261"></div>"India is now on the moon," said Modi, per the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-asia-india-66576580#:~:text=Chandrayaan%2D3's%20lander%20touches%20down,to%20the%20hunt%20for%20water." target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC</a>. The nation "will look into a human flight mission as well for the future," he said, per Sky News. <h2>Indian astronauts to Earth's orbit and beyond</h2><div type="image" title="man poses in white waving astronaut uniform with india flag patches on each shoulder" height="1500" width="2250" msid="102995554" hostid="261"></div>India has previously said it will attempt a crewed mission to low-Earth orbit by late <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/gaganyaan-launch-delayed-manned-mission-now-in-fourth-quarter-of-2024/articleshow/96406198.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024</a>, the Times of India reported."India is showing and proving that the sky is not the limit," said Modi per Sky News.<div type="image" title="white rocket with two boosters on its sides launches through clouds with flames shooting out of boosters" height="1500" width="1999" msid="102995555" hostid="261"></div>Per the <a href="https://www.isro.gov.in/Gaganyaan.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Space Research Organisation,</a> India plans to first launch two uncrewed missions, Gaganyaan 1 and 2, the first of which is planned by the end of this year. The missions should test the capacity of the nation's rocket, LVM3.This should be followed by the nation's first crewed mission, which will aim to send three astronauts to low-Earth orbit for a three-day mission.<h2>India nailed a difficult feat amid multiple moon crashes</h2><div type="image" title="surface of moon grey rocky cratered with luna 25 spacecraft piece visible in upper left corner" height="1500" width="2000" msid="102995557" hostid="261"></div>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-space-mission-chandrayaan-2-set-to-land-on-moon-2019-9">Chandrayaan-3 mission</a>, which successfully landed the <keyword id="1091" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vikram" source="Orion">Vikram</keyword> lander near the south pole of the moon, cemented India's position as a frontrunner in the race to the moon.The south polar region is strategically important because scientists <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-new-moon-rover-sample-water-ice-lunar-south-pole-2019-10">believe water ice</a> is present in the area. The hope is this water could someday support humans living on the moon and help manufacture fuel for rockets launching from the moon to Mars.Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, tried to land its own robotic mission near the south pole of the moon, but on August 20 it <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-luna-25-crash-land-on-moon-2023-8">misfired its engines and crashed</a>.Both Japanese private <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/japanese-company-ispace-fears-moon-probe-crash-landed-2023-4">company ispace</a> and Israeli nonprofit SpaceIL have also crashed on the moon in recent years.India's first attempt at the lunar south pole region in 2019, called Chandrayaan-2, crashed as well. Clearly the Indian space agency learned a lot from that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-moon-landings-on-lunar-south-pole-crashed-2023-8">failed landing</a>."Last time they got to the playoffs, if you will, and this time they won the Super Bowl," Braun said.Correction: August 28, 2023 — An earlier version of this article misstated Robert Braun's title. He is head of space exploration at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, not head of a Space Exploration Center there.Correction August 23, 2023: An earlier version of this article misstated which entities have tried to land on the lunar south pole. Two countries have attempted this feat so far: India and Russia. Only India has succeeded. An earlier version of this article also misstated the planned orbit of India's first crewed mission. It's expected to orbit Earth. This post has also been updated with new information. It was originally published on August 23, 2023.Editor's note September 1, 2023: This article has been updated to clarify that India's spacecraft landed in the lunar south pole region, not on the point of the lunar south pole.

India wants to fly its own astronauts to the moon, after becoming the first nation to land near the lunar south pole

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], August 23 (ANI): Ahead of the much-awaited soft landing of the country's third <keyword id="42440" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="moon" source="Orion">moon</keyword> mission -- <keyword id="8011274" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="chandrayaan-3" source="Orion">Chandrayaan-3</keyword>, former <keyword id="6448588" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro-chairman" source="Orion">ISRO Chairman</keyword> G <keyword id="52158" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="madhavan-nair" source="Orion">Madhavan Nair</keyword> spoke to and delved into how this mission is significant for overall spacefaring for India and also about the last-minute manoeuvres. "The last leg of its operation and everybody is anxiously looking forward to this great event. As far as the Indian space program is concerned, this is going to be the most significant milestone for planetary exploration. Of course, in the past, we have made an attempt to land on the <keyword id="963787" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lunar-surface" source="Orion">lunar surface</keyword>, but unfortunately, it did not succeed at the time. Since then, <keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword> has done considerable studies and simulations and strengthened the designs and provided redundancies so that the mission success probability can be improved," he said. The scheduled timing for the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon's south pole on August 23, 2023 (Wednesday), is around 18:04 IST, with the powered descent of Vikram lander expected at 1745 IST. With all set for a soft landing, he said the last 20 minutes where the powered descending from the lunar orbit to the lunar surface will take place, is going to be the most challenging moment in the history of this mission. "As far as this soft landing is concerned, not many people have succeeded. It is only USA, Russia and China have succeeded so far to land on the south pole of the Moon. Of course, recently, the Luna spacecraft of Russia also crashed and landed on the lunar surface. Considering all this background, we have to really make sure everything is normal and perfect before the landing operation takes place," he said. "The landing operation involves first reducing the velocity of the spacecraft from 1.6 kilometre per second to a few hundred meters per second and then making it over at a low altitude, taking pictures of the lunar surface and identifying the spot where it can safely land. There are rocks and there are craters and valleys in the region. So one has to really choose the spot on which the landing can take place safely. And this operation will be done in the last minute or so." "And that is the most important event which is as far as the mission is concerned. After reaching identifying the spot, the thrusters again will slowly bring the spacecraft to the lunar surface. After landing there, the rover is suspected to move out and then have the investigation in the southern polar region for about 14 days. It will collect data about the minerals which are there, identify the water sources and also the helium three and so on," he added. "So this is a very significant event as far as ISRO is concerned, and everybody is anxiously looking forward to the successful completion of this event" said Madhavan Nair. In its latest update on Chandrayaan-3 soft landing, ISRO has said the mission is on schedule and systems are undergoing regular checks. This mission, if it turns out to be fruitful, will make India the only country to have marked its presence on the lunar south pole which is considered to be difficult for its rough and harsh conditions, and fourth - after US, China, and Russia - to have successfully landed on the moon's surface. Historically, spacecraft missions to the Moon have primarily targeted the equatorial region due to its favourable terrain and operating conditions. However, the lunar south pole presents a vastly different and more challenging terrain compared to the equatorial region. The spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota on July 14. Ever since the July 14 launch, ISRO has been maintaining that the health of the spacecraft remains "normal". Chandrayaan-3's development phase commenced in January 2020, with the launch planned sometime in 2021. However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen delay to the mission's progress. (ANI)

Chandrayaan-3 most significant milestone for planetary exploration: former ISRO chief

New Delhi [India], August 22 (ANI): In its latest update on Chandrayaan-3 soft landing, <keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword> on Tuesday said the mission is on schedule and systems are undergoing regular checks. "Smooth sailing is continuing, The Mission Operations Complex (at ISRO) is buzzed with energy and excitement!" ISRO posted on X, formerly Twitter. After Russia's Luna-25 mission failed, all eyes will be on India as its Chandrayaan-3 is set to land on the moon on August 23, 2023 (Wednesday), around 18:04 IST. The live telecast of the landing operations at MOX will begin at 1720 IST on Wednesday. Live actions of landing will be available on the ISRO website, its YouTube channel, Facebook, and public broadcaster DD National TV from 17:27 IST on Aug 23, 2023. Along with the mission's update, ISRO also released images of the moon captured by the Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC) from an altitude of about 70 km. These images assist the lander module in determining its position (latitude and longitude) by matching them against an onboard moon reference map. On Monday, ISRO released a series of images of the lunar far side area captured by the Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC). This camera assists in locating a safe landing area -- without boulders or deep trenches -- during the descent. Also, in a significant development, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter which was still orbiting around the moon established a two-way connection with the lander module of Chandrayaan-3 on Monday. Notably, the 'Vikram' lander module of the spacecraft successfully separated from the propulsion module on Thursday, and subsequently underwent crucial deboosting manoeuvres and descended to a slightly lower orbit. The Chandrayaan-3 mission's lander is named after Vikram Sarabhai (1919-1971), who is widely regarded as the father of the Indian space programme. A GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle was used for the launch of the spacecraft that was placed in the lunar orbit on August 5 and since then it has been through a series of orbital manoeuvres been lowered closer to the moon's surface. It has been a month and eight days since the <keyword id="116095" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="indian-space-research-organisation" source="Orion">Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> launched the Chandrayaan-3 mission on July 14. The spacecraft was launched from the <keyword id="6356967" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="satish-dhawan-space-centre" source="Orion">Satish Dhawan Space Centre</keyword> in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota. The stated objectives of Chandrayaan-3, India's third lunar mission, are safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, rover moving on the moon's surface, and in-situ scientific experiments. India will be the fourth country in the world to achieve this feat after the United States, Russia, and China, but India will be the only country in the world to land on the lunar south pole. Chandrayaan-3's development phase commenced in January 2020, with the launch planned sometime in 2021. However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen delay to the mission's progress. Notably, the Chandrayaan-1 mission discovered the presence of water on the surface of the Moon, which was a new revelation for the world and even the premier Space agencies like the USA's NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) were fascinated by this discovery and used the inputs for their further experiments. (ANI)

Smooth Sailing says ISRO as Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander gets closer to the Moon

Mumbai, Of the 111 lunar missions in the last seven decades, 62 were successful, 41 failed and eight achieved partial success, according to the US space agency <keyword id="18017957" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NASAs-database-on-Moon" source="Orion">NASA's database on Moon</keyword> missions. India on Friday launched its third mission to the Moon, <keyword id="8011274" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan-3" source="Orion">Chandrayaan-3</keyword>, with an aim to soft land on the surface of Earth's only natural satellite. A successful landing would make India the fourth country to achieve the rare feat after the United States, China and the erstwhile USSR. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the technically challenging soft landing on the lunar surface, which Chandrayaan-2 could not achieve, has been planned for 5.47 pm on August 23. Former <keyword id="648399" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ISRO-chairman-G-Madhavan-Nair" source="Orion">ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair</keyword> said the success rate of lunar missions is nearly 50 per cent because of the uncertainties when the rockets leave Earth's gravitational field. "The influence of other planets, from the Sun, is quite a bit. A lot of radiation conditions exist in space and this leaves some equipment or components prone to failure. In India's both missions (Chandrayaan 1 and 2), we have precisely reached the moon's orbit," Nair told PTI on Friday. From 1958 to 2023, India as well as the US, the USSR (now Russia), Japan, the European Union, China and Israel have launched different lunar missions - from orbiters, landers and flyby (orbiting the Moon, landing on the Moon and flying by the Moon), as per the data. The first mission to the Moon - Pioneer 0 - was launched by the US on August 17, 1958, though it was unsuccessful. Six more missions were launched by the USSR and the US in the same year, but all failed. Luna 1, launched by the USSR on January 2, 1959, achieved partial success. It was also the first 'Moon flyby' mission. The Ranger 7 mission launched in July 1964 by the US was the first to take close-up pictures of the Moon. The first lunar soft landing and first pictures from the lunar surface came from Luna 9, launched by the USSR in January 1966. Five months later, in May 1966, the US successfully launched a similar mission named Surveyor-1. The Apollo 11 mission in July 1969 was the landmark expedition through which humans stepped onto the lunar surface for the first time. The three-crewed mission was headed by Neil Amstrong. From 1958 to 1979, only the US and the USSR launched Moon missions. In these 21 years, the two countries launched 90 such space expeditions. There was a lull in the decade that followed with no lunar missions from 1980-89. Japan, the European Union, China, India and Israel were late entrants. Japan launched Hiten, an orbiter mission in January 1990. This was also Japan's first Moon mission. After that, in September 2007, Japan launched Selene, another orbiter mission. There were six lunar missions from 2000-2009 - Europe (Smart-1), Japan (Selene), China (Chang'e 1), India (Chandrayaan-1) and the US (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and LCCROSS). Since 1990, the US, Japan, India, the European Union, China and Israel have collectively launched 21 lunar missions.

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