- India’s national space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), successfully landed Chandrayaan-2 in 2019 and announced that significant work had been achieved on the country’s third moon mission.
- In response to a written query, Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Chandrayaan-2 is being implemented, and Chandrayaan-3 is in the works.
- The year 2022 will be busy for ISRO because several large projects, including the Gangayan Aditya Solar missions, are in the works. ISRO would also carry out 19 missions through December.
The Indian government announced their plans to launch the Chandrayaan- 3 lunar lander mission in August the year onboard with the GSLV Mk3, India’s heaviest operational rocket. The preparation of launching is completed with the help of undergoing the processes of Chandrayaan- 2 and different suggestions by national-level teams and experts of scientists.
On the successful occasions of Chandrayaan- 2 two years ago, there was enough fuel needed to continue the process and operations so that satellite worked perfectly. After the launch of Chandrayaan- 3, India became the first country to go near the lunar south pole.
About the Chandrayaan 2
India’s second moon mission, Chandrayaan- 2, was launched from the Satish Dhawan space center in 2019. In this mission, the orbiter successfully appeared into the lunar orbit on August 20, 2019. Also, in this mission, the Vikram lander failed to have the soft landing hence the third mission is all set to attempt to land the Vikram on the lunar surface.
Testings and finalization of Chandrayaan 3
Former ISRO chairman Kiran Kumar said that the instruments and payloads mounted on the Vikram lander are undergoing the final experiments and results. He also added that the lender would be the essential component of the Chandrayaan- 3 mission.
A source also released the news that ISRO maybe need a specific launch window and they also need to work before the deadlines by discussing what they have to achieve next year. But the experts said that they would clear all steps of the launching process.
Launch of Chandrayaan 3
The launch of Chandrayaan- 3 is all set for August 2022 as all hardware and special tests related to this mission are completed. Chandrayaan-3’s lander will only have four throttle-able engines, unlike Vikram on Chandrayaan-2.
This lander had five 800 Newtons engines, with a fifth one being centrally climbed with a fixed thrust. Additionally, the Chandrayaan-3 lander will be equipped with an LDV that is Laser Doppler Velocimeter.
The national-level expertise team said that some of the missions were impacted by COVID-19, but some projects were in the preforms and retests. Likewise, the mission was planned for 2020 or 2021, but because of this pandemic, the department of space decided to release it earlier this year; hence, it is targeted for 2022.
The third mission of Chandrayaan- 3 will carry the modified lander and rover. In addition, it will use the orbiter of the Chandrayaan- 2 mission to make communication with the earth without any irruption. Reports also said that the mission was initially taking place next year. However, the coronavirus pandemic showed the big tickets missions from the space agency.
Current Circumstances of the ISRO
ISRO must now concentrate on social, military, scientific, and commercial requirements. Planning missions such as Gaganyaan without a fully designed launch vehicle that is GSLV capable of carrying six tons in operation was probably a notion ‘waiting to be released.’
As a result, instead of investing directly in a human mission, India should have prioritized robotic missions. On the surface, preparing for a Space Station may appear to be a great concept, but there is a need to conduct a thorough cost-benefit analysis. The assessment should be based on the scientific outcomes of such programs rather than the financial cost.
