What you need to know about ISRO's successful liftoff of Chandrayaan-3

There was a lot of pressure riding on the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) ever since the lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 failed to lift off in September 2019. The nation remembers how then-ISRO chief K Sivan broke down into tears after the mission’s failure. 

ALSO READ: Chandrayaan 3: What's new to the moon mission?

Now, on July 14 (Friday), ISRO finally got their chance at redemption as the Chandrayaan-3 launch went smoothly as expected. The launch took place from Sriharikota’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 2.35 pm. With ISRO’s mission readiness review committee giving the lift-off clearance, the launch was deemed a success at 2.52 pm when the LVM3 ( Launch Vehicle Mark-III) spacecraft entered the desired orbit to begin its lunar journey. 

Over 10,000 people from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka bore witness to this watershed moment in the history of India’s space research. The scorching heat and dry weather conditions were no deterrents to this eager crowd. 

What are the mission’s primary objectives?

In an official statement, ISRO stated that Chandrayaan-3 has three main goals:

-to demonstrate safe and soft landing on the Moon's surface
-display rover operations on the Moon
-conduct on-site experiments on the lunar surface

Much like Chandrayaan 2's lander, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft includes a moon lander named Vikram in honour of veteran Indian scientist Vikram Sarabhai. The lander houses four instruments to record thermal conductivity and detect moonquakes around the landing site. 

When will Chandrayaan 3 land on the Moon? 

If everything falls into plan, Chandrayaan 3 will complete its six-week journey on August 23. To reach the Moon's surface, the spacecraft will make five orbit manoeuvres around the Earth followed by four orbit manoeuvres around the Moon. 

Learning from Chandrayaan 2’s failure. Why is it so difficult to land on the Moon?

The Moon's low gravity, lack of atmosphere, and dense dust make landing difficult in comparison to Earth. For its presence of over 600 kilograms of frozen ice, people are interested in the lunar poles (particularly the South Pole where Chandrayaan 3 is headed to). However, the surface has hazards such as rocks and craters, which can make identifying safe landing places within shaded and dark surface regions challenging.

Deep-space communication is another issue, according to the ISRO. This is mainly because of the immense distance from Earth and the limited on-board and radio transmissions. These transmissions are weak with heavy background sounds and must be picked up by large antennas. 

As the Moon's location constantly changes due to its orbital motion, the intersection of its path and Chandrayaan-3 must be predicted adequately in advance and with high accuracy. Not only is the Moon's reduced gravity a concern, but it is also 'lumpy' due to uneven distribution of mass under its surface, making orbiting the Moon difficult, according to ISRO.

LVM3’s fourth mission

The LVM3 is a three-stage launch vehicle that was primarily developed to launch communication satellites and ISRO claims that it can also be used for launching crewed missions in India’s human spaceflight program Gaganyaan. 

Chandrayaan-3 is LVM3’s fourth mission as it was previously involved in the launch of GSAT-19 communication satellite, the Astrosat astronomy satellite, and the Chandrayaan-2 lunar mission.

How Europe is helping in tracking Chandrayaan 3?

While ISRO has its own 32-meter deep space tracking station, ISRO’s operators can sometimes be required to track a spacecraft when it is outside the field of view of this antenna. This is where the European Space Agency (ESA) steps in with its global Estrack network of deep space stations. 

The European Space Agency's 15-meter antenna at Kourou, French Guiana, will be used to track Chandrayaan-3 in the days following launch to check that the spacecraft survived the rigors of launch and is in excellent health as it begins its trip to the Moon.