One big step for spacecraft kind
ISRO’s Chandrayaan 3 created quite a flurry following its landing on the 23rd of August but what does this mean for us “Desi” people? So here’s the bite-size version of it. The objectives of our lander are designed to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface and bring back some fun information on the side as well. The mission is to last one lunar day or 14 earth days. The lander consists of two modules namely the Lander and the Rover modules.
The Lander module weighs 1752 Kg making it lighter than your Neighbours Innova Crysta. There are several sensors which work together to make sure the lander has a safe landing. After the previous failure, ISRO adopted a new design strategy making a failure-based design which means the lander has been designed to land successfully even if certain elements fail. Basically, the Lander has been built like an absolute unit to ensure success.
Objective Payloads of the lander:
Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive Ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA) - A device used to measure surface plasma which consists of ions and electrons and their changes in time.
Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE)- Used to measure variations in heat and thermal properties near the poles kind of like a really advanced thermometer.
Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) - a device that measures the frequency of earthquakes in the region and also paints a picture of what the crust and mantle (inner layers of the moon) are like.
Sadly not designed by Land Rover but in no way inferior, the 26kg lightweight Rover certainly does a lot. The Rover has two payloads on board and also has a mission life of one lunar day (14 days) making it last longer than your average vacation. In terms of communication, it uses the lander to communicate with the brains at ISRO.
Objective Payloads of the Rover:
LASER-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) - It derives the chemical composition of the rocks and soil upon the surface. Basically, it shows what stuff the moon is made of.
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) - To further find out the elemental combination of the rocks and soil nearby making sure we know what elements the surface consists of.
Overall the Chandrayaan-3 is a very important mission and accomplishment for ISRO and India. The unique location of where the lander has landed allows us to confirm the existence of water or ice on the moon's surface. Along with that, we are also conducting several research missions as seen above. The Chandrayaan-3 mission is a milestone as it now will pave the way for ISRO to conduct further missions into space starting the exploration of the final frontier.
