India’s most anticipated lunar mission, Chandrayaan 3 is expected to land on the “South Pole” of the Moon on August 23 at 06.04 pm, making India the first country ever to make a soft landing on the south pole of the lunar surface, according to Indian Space Research Organisation.
This makes India’s lunar mission an even more difficult undertaking because of the rough terrain and extremely low temperatures at the South Pole.
Why Landing On The South Pole Is Significant?
The landing of Chandrayaan 3 on the south pole of the moon will serve as a demonstration of India’s technological strength and audacious spacefaring goals. The lunar south pole is of particular interest to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) since it is the portion of the moon that is always under shadow, which suggests that moon ice may exist there.
Furthermore, the large craters in the lunar surface might contain clues to the composition of the early Solar System.
Intriguingly, Chandrayaan 1, which “intentionally” crashed into the South Pole, made a significant finding about the presence of water ice on the lunar surface right before crashing, making Chandrayaan 3 India’s second mission to study the South Pole. This was comparable to NASA’s finding that water was present in higher concentrations on the shaded sides of mountains and craters.
Also Read: Three Reasons Why Russia’s Luna 25 Could Have Landed On Moon Before India’s Chandrayaan 3
First Country To Land On Moon’s South Pole
None of the lunar missions so far, and the United States human missions along with human Moon missions, have taken any spacecraft to the South Pole.
Remarkably, two days before India’s Chandrayaan 3 mission began on July 14, Russia launched “Luna 25” on August 11 with the same goal of touching down on the lunar surface on August 21.
Unfortunately, according to Roscosmos, the Russian Space Agency, the Luna 25 spacecraft spun into an uncontrollable orbit and crashed into the moon’s surface. Surprisingly, it was Russia’s first lunar expedition in 47 years.
Had Luna 25 landed on the Moon’s south pole, it would have made Russia the first nation to explore an unexplored region of the lunar surface.
Latest Update
All eyes are on the day when Chandrayaan 3 will land on the lunar surface and the excitement has been doubled up by ISRO Chairman, S Somnath who stated that even if all the sensors and two of its engines fail, Chandrayaan 3’s lander module, Vikram will still be able to land.
Furthermore, ISRO released images of the Lunar far side area captured by the Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera.
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Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: Firstpost, Indian Express, Mint
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This post is tagged under: Chandrayaan 3, Chandrayaan, Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO, S Somnath, ISRO Chairman, india’s space mission, india’s lunar mission, chandrayaan’s landing date
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