India’s 3rd exploration mission on the moon Chandrayaan 3(ch-3) is in continuation of Chandrayaan 2 (ch-2), it was launched on 14th July 2023 at 2:35 pm IST and it landed on the moon’s south pole on 23rd August 2023. Chandrayaan 2 partially failed due to the crash landing of Lander Vikram on the moon’s South Pole and destroyed the lander Vikram and rover Pragyan. Chandrayaan 3 is more technologically advanced than Chandrayaan 2 and it safely landed on the Lunar surface.
Chandrayaan 3 was launched by LVM 3-M4 rocket (GSLV MK III) from Satish Dawan Space Centre Sri Harikota Andhra Pradesh.
Objective Chandrayaan 3
Demonstrate the safe and precise landing of Lander on the moon’s South Pole where no spacecraft has gone before. Chanrayaan 2 also attempted to land on the South Pole but failed. The presence of an Indian Rover moving on the moon’s surface and conducting in-situ (on-site) scientific research.
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Difference between Chandrayaan 2 and Chandrayaan 3
On a technological level, there are lots of improvements in Chandrayaan 3 major difference is there is no orbiter like Chandrayaan 2 and Chandrayaan 3 is based on Two Module configuration and it is planned to make contact with the orbiter of Chandrayaan 2.
First Module
The propulsion module will carry the Lander module from launch injection to the Lunar Polar orbit
2nd module
The Lander Module accommodates the Rover inside the Lander and after the soft landing of the Lander Rover will move out of the Lander and have to travel on the surface of the moon.
ISRO decided the name of the lander as Vikram and the rover name as Pragyan same as the name of the lander and rover of the previous Chandrayaan 2 mission.
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Specifications of Chandrayaan 3
| Serial Number | Parameter | Specifications |
| 1 | Life of Chandrayaan 3 (Lander and Rover) | 1 Lunar day approx 14 Earth days |
| 2 | Landing Site | South Pole (4 km x 2.4 km 69.367621 S, 32.348126 E) |
| 3 | Velocity for a soft landing | i. Vertical velocity less than 2m/sec ii. Horizontal velocity less than 0.5m/sec iii. Slope greater than 120 degree |
| 4 | Mass | i. Propulsion module = 2148 kg ii. Lander module= 1726 kg iii. Rover = 26 kg Total = 3900 kg |
| 5 | Power | i. Propulsion module= 758 W ii. Lander module=738 W iii. Rove= 50 W |
| 6 | Communications | i. Propulsion module: communicate with the Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) ii. Lander: Communicate with IDSN and Rover and also try to communicate with Orbiter of chandrayaan 2 iii. Rover: support communication only with Lander |
The Propulsion module
Chandrayaan 3 consists of an indigenously developed Propulsion module that will carry the Lander and Rover configuration from launch injection to the Lunar orbit of 100 km, from where the Lander separates from the Propulsion module. The Prolusion module and the Lander module jointly make a single piece called an integrated module.
The propulsion module will revolve in 100 km of lunar polar orbit after the separation of the lander and will behave as an orbital and relay communication between Earth and Lander. The propulsion module will carry a payload called Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) which will study the Earth from Lunar orbit.
| Serial number | Propulsion module payload | Objective |
| 1 | Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) | study the Earth from Lunar orbit and future discoveries of smaller planets and determine if they could support life. |
The Lander
After the separation from the propulsion module, the Lander module lands on the moon’s surface. The main challenge of ISRO starts here to control the speed of the Lander when it reaches the moon’s surface. Once the Lader enters the Moon’s gravity there is a state of free fall and Lander can not use a parachute because of lack of air drag.
The Lander has to fire thrusters in the opposite direction to slow down to a velocity of less than 2 meters per second for a soft and precise landing and here Chandrayaan 2 lander failed to slow down its speed from a state of free fall and did a crash landing which destroyed lander Vikram and Rover Pragyan.
The objective of the 1752 kg Lander is to land safely on the moon’s surface and detach the rover from inside. The Lander remains stationary on its landing site and communicates with Rover and passes the information of Rover to the Earth. Lander has 4 different types of payloads with different objectives.
| Serial number | Lander payloads | Objective |
| 1 | Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive Ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA) | It will measure the near-surface plasma and its density changing with time |
| 2 | Chandra’s Surface Thermo physical Experiment (ChaSTE) | Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) |
| 3 | Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) | It will measure seismic activity around the landing site and map the structure of the lunar crust and mantle. |
| 4 | LASER Retroreflector Array (LRA) | It is an experimental device to understand the dynamics of the Moon system |
The Rover
Once the Lander land on the moon’s surface, a six-wheeled 50 W solar-powered 26 kg rover will detach itself from the lander and will crawl down on the moon’s surface with the help of a ramp provided by the lander. The life span of Lander and Rover is 1 Lunar day equivalent to 14 Earth days.
The Rover has two different payloads to study the chemical composition of Lunar surfaces and to determine elements composition like Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, and Fe from Lunar soil
| Serial number | Rover Payloads | Objective |
| 1 | LASER Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) | Quantitative and Qualitative elemental analysis of chemical composition and mineralogical composition of lunar surface |
| 2 | Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer(APXS) | Quantitative and Qualitative elemental analysis of chemical composition and mineralogical composition of the lunar surface |
Budget of Chandrayaan 3
The budget for Chandrayaan 3 is 615 crore rupees around 72 million US dollars. The budget of Chandrayaan 3 is one-fourth of Avatar 2 a Hollywood movie. The cost of the Rover, Lander, and Propulsion module is 250 crore rupees, and the launching cost is 365 crore rupees.
When Chandrayaan 3 will launch
Chandrayaan 3 will be launched on 12th July 2023 by GSLV Mk III (LVM 3) rocket from Satish Dawan Space Centre Sri Harikota Andhra Pradesh and Chandrayaan 3 will attempt a soft landing on the lunar south pole on 23rd August 2023.
ISRO and MVA collaboration for Chandrayaan 3
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Moon Village Association(MVA) are collaborating for Chandrayaan 3. The goal of this collaboration is to increase the global impact of Chandrayaan 3 and foster international cooperation.
What is Moon Village Association
The Moon Village Association (MVA) Vienna-based international NGO was founded in 2017. Its mission is to provide a global forum for all stakeholders like government, industry, academia, and the general public interested in the development habitat on the moon.
chandrayaan-3 rover name
Isro decided on the name of the rover of Chandrayaan 3 as Pragyan same as the previous one
Chandrayaan 3 lander name
ISRO decided the name of the lander of Chandrayaan 3 as Vikram same as the previous one
chandrayaan 4 launch date
There is no official information from ISRO
chandrayaan 3 launch place
Chandrayaan 3 will launch from Satish Dawan Space Centre Sri Harikota Andhra Pradesh
What is the lifespan of the Chandrayaan 3 mission?
The life span of the Chandrayaan 3 mission is 1 Lunar day equivalent to 14 Earth days.
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