About The Chandrayaan-3

Context:

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to retain the names of the Chandrayaan-2 lander (Vikram) and rover (Pragyan) for their Chandrayaan-3 equivalents as well.

Relevance:

GS III: Science and Technology

Dimensions of the Article:

1. Chandrayaan-3 Mission
2. Objective and Composition
3. Implementation Plan for the Mission

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:

• Chandrayaan-3 is the third lunar exploration mission by ISRO.
• It aims to demonstrate capabilities in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.
  • Safe landing (through the lander Vikram – after Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme) and
  • Roving (through the rover Pragyan) on the lunar surface.
• Unlike Chandrayaan-2, it will not have an orbiter and the propulsion module will act as a communications relay satellite.

Mission Modules:

Propulsion Module:

• Includes the  Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload for studying Earth from lunar orbit using spectro-polarimetry.

Lander Module:

Consists of four payloads:

• Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA) for studying the temporal evolution of electron density in the Lunar ionosphere.
• Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) for measuring thermal conductivity and temperature on the lunar surface.
• Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) for measuring seismic activity around the landing site.
• Langmuir Probe (LP) for estimating plasma density and variations.

Rover Module:

• Equipped with the  Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) payloads to analyze elemental composition near the landing site.

Launch and Rocket:

• ISRO plans to launch Chandrayaan-3 in mid-July.
• It will be launched aboard the LVM3 (formerly GSLV Mk-III) rocket from Sriharikota.

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.

Implementation Plan for the Mission:

Propulsion Module Deployment:

• The mission will commence with the deployment of a propulsion module, which will transport the lander-rover configuration to a lunar orbit situated 100 kilometers above the lunar surface.

Lander Module Arrival:

• Following a successful journey, the dedicated lander module named ‘Vikram’ will safely reach the moon’s surface.

Rover Deployment:

• Once the lander module has achieved a secure landing, it will initiate the deployment of the rover module called ‘Pragyan’ onto the lunar surface.

In-Situ Chemical Analysis:

• The rover, Pragyan, will undertake comprehensive in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface throughout its mobility phase.
• It will conduct detailed examinations and investigations to gather valuable data and insights.

-Source: The Hindu