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India's Chandrayaan-3 lands on Moon's surface: As it happened

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DailyBiteAug 23, 2023 | 14:29

India's Chandrayaan-3 lands on Moon's surface: As it happened

India scripted history as Chandrayaan-3 made a soft landing on the Moon's south pole at 18:04 IST on Wednesday (August 23). We have achieved a soft landing on the Moon, India is on the Moon, said ISRO Chief S Somanath after the successful landing of the Vikram lander.

Chandrayaan-3 Soft-landing streaming: 

Landing of Chandrayaan-3: As it happened

6:22 pm IST: The commencement of the address by Chandrayaan-3's project director follows the successful completion of the Moon mission.

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6:14 pm IST: This is historic moment and sounds the bugle for a developed India : PM Narendra Modi on Chandrayaan's successful landing on the moon

6:11 pm IST: I may be in South Africa but my heart has always been with Chandrayaan mission: PM Modi after successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on moon

6:07 pm IST: We have achieved soft landing on moon. India is on the Moon: ISRO Chief S Somanath

6:06 pm IST: PM Modi speaks to the country as Chandrayaan-3 successfully touches down on the lunar surface.

6:04 pm IST: ISRO celebrates Chandrayaan-3. 

6:04 pm IST: Chandrayaan-3 lands on the Moon.

6:02 pm IST: Vikram lander hovers over the Moon's surface.

6:01pm IST: Vikram lander in vertical descent phase

6:00 pm IST: In the last stage of its powered descent, the Vikram lander is only 1 kilometer from the Moon's surface.

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5:58 pm IST: Final phase of the power descent. Vertical descent phase 1. 

5:57 pm IST: PM Modi joins a live stream as the Vikram lander approaches the Moon, now just 10 kilometers away.

5:55 pm IST: Chandrayaan-3 lander Vikram shares pictures of the moon's surface.

5:51 pm IST: All appears well; Vikram lander is progressing steadily, with its speed reduced to 1150 meters per second. It has descended three kilometers in altitude and is currently flying around 27 kilometers above the lunar surface.

5:48 pm IST: In the powered descent phase, Vikram lander covers 700 km.

5:46 pm IST: Chandrayaan-3 has traveled 191 kilometers horizontally and has entered the landing phase.

5:43 pm IST: The landing process is about to start, and it will take around 15 minutes for the Vikram lander to travel from 25 kilometers high to the Moon's surface.

  • This journey has four stages: slowing down roughly, maintaining position, slowing down gently, and descending finally. Right now, ISRO is examining the data from the lander at ISTRAC's Mission Operation Complex.

5:42 pm IST: Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander is on the brink of a powered descent onto the Moon's southern polar area.

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  • ISRO stated that Chandrayaan-3 will yield essential lunar data globally.
  • With 120 lunar orbits completed, the spacecraft is operational and focus shifts to its sequence initiation.
  • ISRO Chairman S Somanath is also present at the Mission Control Complex in Bengaluru, closely observing the Chandrayaan-3 Mission's anticipated soft landing on the lunar surface.

What formed the basis of Chandrayaan-3 and the journey so far?

  • Back in 2008, ISRO, discreetly hid a 32-kilogram device in a spacecraft only to crash onto the Moon.
  • Launched as part of the Chandrayaan mission, this probe carried instruments to analyse the Moon's surface and atmosphere, that paved the way for subsequent lunar missions.

ISRO's approach to lunar landing initiation

  • At 5:44 pm IST, Chandrayaan-3's landing sequence is set to start as it enters India's deep space network coverage.
  • The landing procedures will be autonomously managed by the onboard computers.
  • ISRO has provided a quick visual guide in its handbook, illustrating the 15-minute process.
Landing process via ISRO

Excitement builds at mission control as ISRO prepares for Chandrayaan-3's touchdown

  • A mix of anticipation and tension was evident among scientists at the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru just hours before the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft endeavours to achieve a lunar landing today.

What happens on Moon after the touchdown?

  • After landing, the rover will start a 14-day mission to carry out experiments using its payloads RAMBHA and ILSA.
  • These experiments will give scientists better insights into the lunar atmosphere and the mineral makeup of the moon.
  • Additionally, the rover is outfitted with cutting-edge tools like the LASER Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) and the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) to study the chemical composition of the lunar surface, as well as rocks and soil.

Where to watch the Chandrayaan-3 landing?

How will the soft landing process work?

  • Soft landing signifies the controlled touchdown of a spacecraft without incurring damage to either the craft itself or its payload. Chandrayaan-2 aimed for a soft landing, yet a software glitch led to a hard landing, rendering the mission unsuccessful.

  • Unlike its forerunner, Chandrayaan-3 lacks an orbiter module. Its singular purpose is to fulfil what Chandrayaan-2 could not—landing on the lunar south pole and surveying its topography using a rover.

How does the lunar far side look?

  • Chandrayaan-3 is equipped with a Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC) that assists in locating a safe landing area devoid of boulders or deep trenches.

India prays

  • As the last leg of India's lunar mission is now underway, prayers are being offered across the country for its success.

All set for Automatic Landing Sequence (ALS)

  • ISRO is ready to commence the Automatic Landing Sequence (ALS) and is currently anticipating the Lander Module (LM) to reach the predetermined location at approximately 17:44 IST.

  • Live coverage of operations at the MOX (Mission Operations Center) is scheduled to start at 17:20 IST.

India's heavy lifters

  • With the Chandrayaan-3 attempting to land today, let's have a look at ISRO's arsenal of launch vehicles:

PM Modi to witness the touch-down

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is away to participate in the BRICS summit at Johannesburg will be witnessing the landing this evening virtually.

Chandrayaan-3 wasn't alone

  • Russia's Luna-25 lunar mission was supposed to make history by soft landing on the south pole of the Moon on Monday (August 21).
  • It was in a race with India's Chandrayaan-3 mission. But on Saturday, August 19, Russia's space agency Roskosmos announced that there was an "abnormal situation" with the spacecraft.
  • It later crashed into the Moon.

What is the Chandrayaan-3 mission?

  • At the 108th Indian Science Congress in January 2023, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief S Somnath announced that the lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 will be launched by June 2023.
  • The highly anticipated Chandrayaan 3 mission follows the disastrous Chandrayaan 2 which crash-landed on the Moon in 2019.
  •  Chandrayaan-3 was launched on 14 July 2023, at 2:35 pm IST as scheduled, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
  • Chandrayaan-3 consists of an autonomous Lander module called Vikram, designed for a precise soft landing at a designated lunar location.
  • Vikram is equipped to deploy a Rover called Pragyaan that will conduct on-site chemical analyses of the lunar terrain while navigating the lunar surface.
  • Both the Lander and the Rover are laden with scientific instruments to conduct experiments on the lunar landscape.
Last updated: August 23, 2023 | 18:51
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