The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Friday that the Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander has successfully completed its first deboosting operation, bringing it closer to the moon’s surface. The deboosting is a crucial step that involves reducing the speed and altitude of the spacecraft to position itself for the final descent and landing.
What is deboosting and why is it important?
Deboosting is the process of slowing down a spacecraft by firing its thrusters in the opposite direction of its motion. This reduces its orbital velocity and lowers its orbit around the celestial body. Deboosting is necessary for a spacecraft to achieve a stable and suitable orbit for landing or rendezvous with another spacecraft.
For Chandrayaan-3, the deboosting operation was performed at 4 pm on Friday, reducing its orbit from 157 km x 113 km to 112 km x 100 km. The second deboosting operation is scheduled for Sunday at 8 pm, which will further lower its orbit to 100 km x 30 km. This will serve as the starting point for the soft landing attempt on the moon’s south polar region, planned for August 23.
What are the challenges and benefits of landing on the moon’s south pole?
The moon’s south pole is one of the most intriguing and unexplored regions of the lunar surface. It is home to permanently shadowed craters that may contain water ice and other volatiles. It also receives more sunlight than other regions, which can provide more power and thermal stability for a spacecraft.
However, landing on the moon’s south pole also poses several challenges, such as rough terrain, extreme temperatures, communication difficulties, and lunar dust. The lander has to navigate through these obstacles and perform a precise and controlled landing using its onboard sensors and thrusters. The lander also has to avoid any damage or contamination from the lunar dust, which can affect its performance and scientific instruments.
What are the objectives and achievements of Chandrayaan-3?
Chandrayaan-3 is India’s third lunar mission, following Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2. It aims to demonstrate India’s capability of soft landing on the moon and deploying a rover to explore its surface. The mission also seeks to conduct scientific experiments and collect data on the composition and geology of the moon, especially its south polar region.
The mission was launched on July 14 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota using a GSLV Mark III rocket. It entered lunar orbit on August 5 and separated its lander module from its propulsion module on August 17. The lander module consists of the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover, named after Dr. Vikram A Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space program, and Sanskrit word for ‘wisdom’, respectively.
The mission has achieved several milestones so far, such as:
- The first-ever global map for lunar sodium, enhancing knowledge on crater size distribution
- Unambiguous detection of lunar surface water ice with IIRS instrument
- Spectroscopic study of Earth’s atmosphere and polarisation variations from clouds with SHAPE instrument
- Successful separation and deboosting of lander module
What are the next steps for Chandrayaan-3?
The next steps for Chandrayaan-3 are:
- Second deboosting operation on Sunday at 8 pm
- Final descent and soft landing attempt on August 23 at 2:30 am
- Deployment of Pragyan rover from Vikram lander
- Surface exploration and scientific experiments by rover and lander
The propulsion module will remain in its current orbit and continue to collect data with its SHAPE instrument. The mission is expected to last for one lunar day, which is equivalent to 14 Earth days.
Chandrayaan-3 is a landmark mission for India’s space exploration endeavors, placing it among the elite nations that have successfully carried out missions to the moon. The mission will also provide valuable insights into the history and evolution of our nearest celestial neighbor and pave the way for future lunar missions.