Context:
Recently, chief of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed that Chandrayaan-3 will be launched in July, 2023.
Relevance:
GS III: Science and Technology
Dimensions of the Article:
- About Chandrayaan-3
- Objective and Composition
- Lander and Rover Instruments
About Chandrayaan-3
- Follow-on Mission: Chandrayaan-3 is a mission that follows Chandrayaan-2 and aims to demonstrate safe landing and roving capabilities on the moon.
- Propulsion Module: The propulsion module will transport the lander and rover configuration to a lunar orbit of 100 km.
- Launch Details: Chandrayaan-3 will be launched using the LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.
- Mission Life: The expected mission life for the lander and rover is one lunar day, which is approximately 14 Earth days.
Objective and Composition:
- Objective: Chandrayaan-3 is an ambitious mission by ISRO aimed at demonstrating critical technologies required for successful spacecraft landing on the moon’s south pole.
- Composite Structure: The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is composed of three modules: propulsion, lander, and rover.
- Scientific Instruments: The mission carries scientific instruments to study various aspects of the lunar environment, including the thermo-physical properties of the lunar regolith (surface material), lunar seismicity, lunar surface plasma environment, and elemental composition near the landing site.
Lander and Rover Instruments:
- Lander Instruments: The lander deployed with Chandrayaan-3 will include Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment for measuring thermal conductivity and temperature. It will also carry the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity to estimate seismic activity and a Langmuir Probe to calculate plasma density and variations.
- Rover Instruments: The rover will be equipped with the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer and the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy instrument to analyze the elemental composition in the vicinity of the landing site.
-Source: Indian Express