Shruti Suman
Chandrayaan-3, India’s third moon spacecraft, is scheduled to perform its fifth and final Earth orbit-raising maneuver today. A successful Chandrayaan-3 mission will make India the fourth country in the world to achieve a landing and traversal on the Moon’s surface, following the footsteps of the US, Russia, and China.
The launch of Chandrayaan-3 took place on July 14, with India’s powerful ‘Bahubali’ rocket flawlessly placing the 3.8-ton spacecraft into its intended Earth orbit. This rocket earned its nickname ‘Bahubali’ due to its ability to carry heavy payloads, similar to the heroic character in a successful film that lifts a massive Lingam.
Following the launch, Chandrayaan-3 embarked on a long journey, with the distance between Earth and the Moon being approximately 3,844,000 kilometers. The LVM3 rocket thunderously roared into the sky, breaking free from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, leaving behind a trail of thick, bright orange flames and dense white smoke.
After about 16 minutes into its flight, the rocket successfully placed Chandrayaan-3 into orbit. However, it will take over a month for Chandrayaan-3 to reach its destination on the Moon, given the considerable distance between the two celestial bodies. The Indian space agency has meticulously raised the spacecraft’s orbit through a series of maneuvers, aligning it with a Lunar Transfer Trajectory.
Chandrayaan-3 consists of a propulsion module weighing 2,148 kg, a lander weighing 1,723.89 kg, and a rover weighing 26 kg, according to the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).
The Moon lander, yet to be named, is expected to execute a soft-landing near the South Pole of the Moon on August 23 or 24. It will gracefully descend from a height of about 100 km above the Moon’s surface to achieve a successful landing.
