Vikram lander hops on the Moon in some more good news from Chandrayaan-3
Vikram Lander succesfully hopes on the moon which can be pivotal for future missions. (Photo: X/ISRO)
Chandrayaan-3 has made a soft landing on the Moon yet again, but this time it just hopped on the Moon, defying all limitation and achieving success beyond all expectations.
What
Just a mere few days after etching history by making a soft landing on the south pole of the Moon, the Vikram Lander exceeded all mission objectives and successfully carried out a “hop experiment”.
ISRO initiated a bold experiment during Chandrayaan-3, where the Vikram Lander executed a daring manoeuvre by leaping from the lunar surface.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
— ISRO (@isro) September 4, 2023
🇮🇳Vikram soft-landed on 🌖, again!
Vikram Lander exceeded its mission objectives. It successfully underwent a hop experiment.
On command, it fired the engines, elevated itself by about 40 cm as expected and landed safely at a distance of 30 – 40 cm away.… pic.twitter.com/T63t3MVUvI
Describing the said “hop experiment”, ISRO clarified that the lander executed engine ignition as instructed, raising itself by the anticipated 40 cm. The Indian space agency reported a successful touchdown, approximately 30 to 40 cm from its intended target.
Why is the experiment important?
ISRO described the experiment as a “kick-start that enthuses future sample return and human missions!”
- This means that the success of this particular “hop experiment” will act as a pivotal factor in planning future missions to the Moon; including human missions.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
— ISRO (@isro) September 2, 2023
The Rover completed its assignments.
It is now safely parked and set into Sleep mode.
APXS and LIBS payloads are turned off.
Data from these payloads is transmitted to the Earth via the Lander.
Currently, the battery is fully charged.
The solar panel is…
ISRO creates history for India
ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 helped India achieve the historic feat of making the soft landing on the south pole of the Moon, only a few days after a Russian mission failure with the same objective.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
— ISRO (@isro) August 23, 2023
'India🇮🇳,
I reached my destination
and you too!'
: Chandrayaan-3
Chandrayaan-3 has successfully
soft-landed on the moon 🌖!.
Congratulations, India🇮🇳!#Chandrayaan_3#Ch3
This achievement has given India the title of the first-ever country to land a craft on the south pole of the Moon, at only a fraction of the cost that the space programmes of other countries spent.
Future projects of ISRO
Last week, ISRO triumphantly launched its inaugural Sun mission, Aditya-L1, which aims to delve into the mysteries of coronal heating and solar wind acceleration.
After the success of Chandrayaan-3, India continues its space journey.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 2, 2023
Congratulations to our scientists and engineers at @isro for the successful launch of India’s first Solar Mission, Aditya -L1.
Our tireless scientific efforts will continue in order to develop better…
Aditya-L1 Mission:
— ISRO (@isro) September 3, 2023
The satellite is healthy and operating nominally.
The first Earth-bound maneuvre (EBN#1) is performed successfully from ISTRAC, Bengaluru. The new orbit attained is 245km x 22459 km.
The next maneuvre (EBN#2) is scheduled for September 5, 2023, around 03:00… pic.twitter.com/sYxFzJF5Oq
ISRO has an ambitious and busy slate ahead of themselves:
- ISRO is set to embark on a three-day crewed mission to Earth's orbit next year.
- They have also planned a collaborative mission with Japan, scheduled for 2025, which is aimed at sending an additional probe to the moon.
- Within the next two years, ISRO plans to launch an orbital mission to Venus.