The Pride Of India: Chandrayaan 3

The Indian Space and Research Organization, famously known as ISRO, made history on the 23rd day of August 2023 as the Chandrayaan-3 mission became a success and entrenched India's name on the Moon. The Vikram Lander landed peacefully on the south pole of the moon at 6:04 P.M. IST, followed by the smooth rollout of the Pragyan rover on the moon’s surface, sealing India’s Chandrayaan-3 Mission fate with a grand success. The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14, 2023, from India's main spaceport, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. India's previous attempt to land on the lunar south pole, i.e., the Chandrayaan-2, failed in 2019 as the ISRO unfortunately lost contact with the lander. ISRO has retained the names of the lander Vikram and rover Pragyan as that of its predecessor, i.e., the Chandrayaan-2 mission as an ode to India’s tryst with the Moon. India bounced back with unwavering resilience and zeal to make Chandrayaan-3 a success. Its valuable endeavours for the same have ultimately paid off as ‘India is now on the Moon’.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission, the third in the series, aims to demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, demonstrating the movement of the Pragyan rover and conducting scientific experiments on the lunar surface. Furthermore, it aims to explore the lunar south pole region, which is marked by the presence of water ice or frozen water, which could be used as a source of oxygen, fuel and water for future moon missions. The mission has completed its primary objective of demonstrating its capability of conducting a soft landing on the lunar surface and is a symbol of India's enormous space prowess. The rover Pragyan (solar-powered equipment) will navigate into the earth’s orbit and is set to conduct two experiments for 14 days from today. These experiments are pertinent to unlocking the mysteries of the Moon's geology, considering the traces of water found in this region by the efforts of Chandrayaan-1 and NASA’s LCROSS in 2009. These experiments regarding the presence of water on the moon would aid India in conducting future moon missions as the water can be used for drinking purposes and cooling down the equipments. It would also aid in breaking water molecules down to produce oxygen on the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3 mission makes India the 1st nation to have successfully landed a spacecraft on the South Pole of the Moon. ISRO has become a global space powerhouse and has opened the gates for future exciting opportunities for India in the global space ecosystem. It encourages the growth of and signifies a major shift in the lunar space economy of India. This is a very crucial era in the global space power dynamic as the U.S. and Russia are actively involved in conducting crewed missions on the Moon. For example, NASA, as a part of its Artemis 3 mission, is currently working on conducting a crewed mission on the moon by 2025-26, coupled with establishing a base in the south pole region too. India’s presence and prowess were crucial to developing its contemporary international space relations.

Glory to India!