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CHANDRAYAAN-3

CHANDRAYAAN-3

India's Chandrayaan 3 has created history by soft landing on the Moon on August 23. It grabbed global attention and India is the first country to safely land on South pole region on the moon surface. Here's all you need to know about ISRO's successful mission to the Moon.

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. It is launched on 14th July, 2023 by (Logical Volume Management) LVM3 from SDSC SHAR (Satish Dhawan Space Centre), Sriharikota. The aim of this project is to continue the country's endeavor to explore and study the Moon. This project will cover various aspects of the mission, including its objectives, scientific instruments, launch, and expected outcomes.

Chandrayaan-3 consists of an indigenous Lander module (LM), Propulsion module (PM) and a Rover with an objective of developing and demonstrating new technologies required for Inter planetary missions.The main function of PM is to carry the LM from launch vehicle injection till final lunar 100 km circular polar orbit and separate the LM from PM.

COMPONENTS

It consists of Lander and Rover configuration. The propulsion module will carry the lander and rover configuration till 100 km lunar orbit.The Lander and the Rover have scientific payloads to carry out experiments on the lunar surface. Lander payloads: Lander consists of following components. Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) to measure the thermal conductivity and temperature. Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) for measuring the seismicity around the landing site. Langmuir Probe (LP) to estimate the plasma density and its variations. Rover payloads: Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) for deriving the elemental composition in the surrounding area of landing site.

OBJECTIVES

The primary objectives of Chandrayaan-3 are as follows:

  • To demonstrate Safe and Soft Landing on Lunar Surface.
  • To study the presence of water molecules, minerals, and helium-3 on the Moon.
  • To demonstrate Rover roving on the moon.
  • To conduct experiments for the benefit of the global scientific community.

INSTRUMENTS

Chandrayaan-3 will carry several scientific instruments to accomplish its objectives. Some of those technologies are as follows:

Terrain Mapping Camera:
To capture high-resolution images of the lunar surface.
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer:
To analyze the elemental composition of the Moon's surface.
Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument:
To measure the distance between the Earth and the Moon with high precision.
Chandrayaan-3 Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer:
Study the Moon's elemental composition using X-rays.
Altimeters:
Laser & RF based Altimeters.
Velocimeters:
Laser Doppler Velocimeter & Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera.
Inertial Measurement:
Laser Gyro based Inertial referencing and Accelerometer package.
Propulsion System:
800N Throttleable Liquid Engines, 58N attitude thrusters & Throttleable Engine Control Electronics.
Navigation, Guidance & Control (NGC):
Powered Descent Trajectory design and associate software elements.
Hazard Detection and Avoidance:
Lander Hazard Detection & Avoidance Camera and Processing Algorithm.

SPECIFICATIONS

    Mission Life:
    One lunar day (~14 Earth days)
    Mass:
    1. Propulsion Module: 2148 kg
    2. Lander Module: 1752 kg including Rover of 26 kg
    3. Total: 3900 kg
    Landing Site:
    4 km x 2.4 km 69.367621 S, 32.348126 E
    Two Module Configuration:
    1. Propulsion Module
    2. Lander Module
    Power generation:
    1. Propulsion Module: 758 W
    2. Lander Module: 738W, WS with Bias
    3. Rover: 50W
    Communication:
    1. Propulsion Module: Communicates with IDSN
    2. Lander Module: Communicates with IDSN and Rover. Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter is also planned for contingency link.
    3. Rover: Communicates only with Lander.
    Lander Propulsion System:
    Bi-Propellant Propulsion System, 4 nos. of 800 N Throttleable engines & 8 nos. of 58 N; Throttleable Engine Control Electronics
    Lander Touchdown specifications:
    1. Vertical velocity: ≤ 2 m / sec
    2. Horizontal velocity: ≤ 0.5 m / sec
    3. Slope: ≤ 12 deg

LANDING LEG MECHANISM

A Lander does not have wheels. It has stilts, or legs, which are supposed to touch down on the lunar surface, the legs of Chandrayaan-3 have been strengthened to ensure that it would be able to land, and stabilise, even at a speed of 3 m/sec, or 10.8 km/hour.

Integrated Cold Test: For the demonstration of Integrated Sensors & Navigation performance test using helicopter as test platform.On February 24, Isro completed the flight acceptance hot- test of the CE-20 cryogenic engine that will power the cryogenic upper stage (CUS) of the GSLV-Mk3 or LVM3 launch vehicle for the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Integrated Hot test: For the demonstration of closed loop performance test with sensors, actuators and NGC using Tower crane as test platform.The hot test was carried out for a planned duration of 25 seconds at the high altitude test facility.

Lander Leg mechanism performance test on a lunar simulant test bed simulating different touch down conditions.

CONCLUSION

Chandrayaan-3 represents India's continued efforts in lunar exploration and scientific research. With advanced instruments and the goal of achieving a successful landing, this mission holds significant scientific importance. By studying the Moon's surface and its resources, Chandrayaan-3 will contribute to our understanding of the Moon's evolution and the possibilities for future human exploration.

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