Assignment – 1

Chandrayaan – 3
 History of ISRO
The History of Indian Space and Technology can be traced back to the
efforts of Indian scientists in the era of 1920s. The efforts were carried
down by two prominent personalities in the country. Homi Bhabha and
Vikram Sarabhai established different research institutes throughout
the country in the era 1945-1957.
The final attempt made was the formation of the Indian National
Committee for Space Research in 1962 by then-Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru on the suggestions of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai who was
later appointed as the chairman and is known as the Father of the
Indian Space Program.
In the 1970s it was renamed ISRO (Indian Space Research
Organisation). Till now the agency has launched a lot of successful
missions including Mangalyan (The first country to plant a satellite in
Mars Orbit on the First Attempt), Chandrayaan-1 (Verified the presence
of Water on the Moon) and prepared GSLV rocket for launch
capabilities.

 Chandrayaan project

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 The Chandrayaan Project is one of the most successful projects in the
history of India’s space agency. It was launched by ISRO for the
exploration of the lunar surface.
The first mission i.e., Chandrayaan-1 was launched on 22 October
2008. It was a successful mission and was inserted into the lunar orbit
on 8th November 2008. It marked a new success for the country and
India became the fifth country in world history to reach the lunar
surface. The cost of this mission was around 386 crores a lot less than
any other space agency. The most prominent discovery of this mission
was the presence of water molecules in the lunar south pole. It
stopped communication with the base on 28 August 2009 and was
declared over.
It was followed by a second mission that was launched on 22 July 2019.
It was successfully inserted into the lunar orbit on 20 August 2019 but
failed to make a soft landing on the lunar surface on 6th September
2019 just 2.1 km away from the surface. However, it was declared
partly successful because the orbiter was still functional for around 7.5
years.
Another successful lunar landing attempt was made recently in the
year 2023 and was launched on 14 July 2023. It completed its landing
and the lander “Vikram Lander” and Rover “Pragyan” landed on the
lunar south pole on 23rd August 2023.
The main aim of this mission is the same as the Chandrayaan 2 to
study the atmosphere of the moon and also explore its mineral
composition. It will also further explore the presence of water in the
lunar surface. The cost of this follow-up mission is around INR 615
crores making it one of the most cost-effective lunar missions in the
world.

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  Chandrayaan – 3 (India’s 3rd lunar mission)

Chandrayaan-3 is the most successful follow-up mission in the history

of Indian space missions. It was followed by the successful
Chandrayaan 1 and partly successful Chandrayaan 2. It has made a
successful soft landing on the lunar surface and made India the fourth
country to land on the lunar surface.
It also marked India as the first country to land on the Moon’s south
pole to examine the presence of water and also gather some valuable
scientific information and data about its mineral composition and its
geology.
One of the main objections to this lunar mission was to make a soft
landing which we were not able to do in the previous attempt. The
Rover ‘Pragyan” will roam on the lunar surface for 1 Lunar Day (Around
14 Earth Days).
The cost of Chandrayaan 3 is much less than the previous attempt
which is around INR 615 Crores making it the most cost-effective lunar
mission.

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  Chandrayaan – 3 features

1. The mission consists of a lander module, a propulsion module, and a rover.

2. The propulsion module payload is the Spectro-polarimetry of habitable
3. Planet Earth (SHAPE).
o SHAPE has the objective of exploring exo-planets for habitability by
studying reflected light.
4. The payloads on the lander Vikram are:
o Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment ( chaste) to measure the
thermal conductivity and temperature
o Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) for measuring the seismicity
around the landing site
o Langmuir Probe (LP) to estimate the plasma density and its variations
o A passive Laser Retroreflector Array from NASA for lunar laser ranging
studies
5. The payloads on the rover Pragyan are:
o Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS)
o Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS)
6. The advanced technologies present in the payloads help in conducting scientific
experiments on the moon.
7. The mission’s life is one lunar day or 14 earth days.
8. The budget of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is Rs 615 crore.

 Chandrayaan – 3 timeline

1) Chandrayaan-3 mission took off on July 14, 2023 from the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota ,A.P.
2) On August 5, the mission entered the lunar orbit.
3) On August 17, the lander module separated from the propulsion module.
4) The first and second deboosting occurred on August 18 and 20 respectively.
a) Deboosting is the slowing down of the spacecraft in an orbit where the
Perilune (closest point to the Moon) is 30 km, and the farthest point (the
Apolune) is 100 km from the landing site.
b) This process is necessary for the proper landing of the spacecraft.
5) On August 23, the lander landed at around 69.36°S and 32.34°E (between
Manzinus C and Simpelius N craters) on the south pole of the moon.
6) On August 24, the rover Pragyan started its exploration.
7) On August 30, Pragyan confirmed the presence of sulphur on the moon through
the LIBS technique.
o Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is a scientific method using
intense laser pulses to analyse material composition.

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  Challenges of Chandrayaan – 3

Chandrayaan-3 is a challenging mission that involves many risks and

uncertainties. The most difficult part of the mission is the soft landing
on the moon, which requires precise timing, accuracy and control. The
lander has to decelerate from about 6 km/s to zero in about 15
minutes, while avoiding obstacles and craters on the surface. The
lander also has to autonomously detect and avoid hazards using its
sensors and cameras.

Another challenge is the communication delay between Earth and

the moon, which is about 2.5 seconds one way. This means that there
is no real-time control or feedback from the ground station during the
landing phase. The lander has to rely on its onboard computer and
software to execute the landing sequence.
A third challenge is the extreme temperature variation on the moon,
which can range from -173°C to 127°C depending on whether it is day
or night. The lander and rover have to survive these fluctuations using
thermal insulation and heaters.

 Significance of chandrayaan – 3

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 Chandrayaan-3 is a significant mission that has many scientific and
strategic implications for India and the world. The mission aims to
explore the south pole of the moon, which is a region of scientific
interest and potential resources. The south pole has craters that are
permanently shadowed from sunlight, and may contain water ice and
other minerals. The rover will conduct experiments to study the lunar
soil, rocks, temperature and radiation.

The mission will also test new technologies for future lunar missions,
such as soft landing, hazard avoidance and autonomous navigation.
These technologies can be useful for other planetary exploration
missions as well.

The mission is also a source of pride and inspiration for India, as it

demonstrates its technological prowess and scientific curiosity. It also
contributes to the global understanding of the moon and its history. If
successful, Chandrayaan-3 will make India the fourth country to
achieve a soft landing on the moon, after the US, Russia and China. It
will also be the first mission to land near the lunar south pole, which
has never been explored before.

 Conclusion

Chandrayaan-3 is India’s third lunar mission, which aims to land a

rover on the moon’s south pole. It is a follow-up to the Chandrayaan-2
mission, which failed to achieve a soft landing in 2019. Chandrayaan-3
is similar to Chandrayaan-2, but with some improvements and
modifications. It does not have an orbiter, as it uses the orbiter of
Chandrayaan-2 for communication and navigation.

The lander and rover are designed to withstand the harsh environment
of the moon and operate for one lunar day. The mission was launched
on July 15, 2023, using a Russian launch vehicle, and is expected to
touch down on the lunar surface on August 23, 2023. The mission cost
is estimated at $74.6 million, which is much lower than other lunar
missions.

Chandrayaan-3 is a challenging mission that involves many risks and

uncertainties. The most difficult part of the mission is the soft landing
on the moon, which requires precise timing, accuracy and control. The
lander has to autonomously detect and avoid hazards using its sensors
and cameras. Another challenge is the communication delay between
Earth and the moon, which is about 2.5 seconds one way. A third
challenge is the extreme temperature variation on the moon, which

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 can range from -173°C to 127°C depending on whether it is day or
night.

Chandrayaan-3 is a significant mission that has many scientific and

strategic implications for India and the world. The mission aims to
explore the south pole of the moon, which is a region of scientific
interest and potential resources. The rover will conduct experiments to
study the lunar soil, rocks, temperature and radiation. The mission will
also test new technologies for future lunar missions, such as soft
landing, hazard avoidance and autonomous navigation. The mission is
also a source of pride and inspiration for India, as it demonstrates its
technological prowess and scientific curiosity. It also contributes to the
global understanding of the moon and its history.

Chandrayaan-3 is a testament to India’s spirit of innovation and

exploration, as well as its collaboration with other countries. It is also a
valuable opportunity for students to learn more about the moon and its
mysteries. As Prime Minister Modi said in his tweet, “Let’s go!” 🚀.

THA
NK Submitted to – Ms. Pooja Saini

YOU Submitted by – Vikram Pratap

Kushwaha ( B.A.Ll.B. 3rd SEM)

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 Chandrayaan – 3 mission soft landing telecast