With Chandrayaan-3 entering Lunar orbit, all Indian Lunar crafts have circled the moon

India has achieved a remarkable feat in its space exploration program, as all three of its lunar missions have successfully entered into orbit around the moon. The latest mission, Chandrayaan-3, was launched on 14 July 2023 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre using a LVM3 rocket. The mission consists of a lander named Vikram and a rover named Pragyan, similar to Chandrayaan-2, but without an orbiter. The propulsion module of Chandrayaan-3 acts as a communication relay satellite between the lander and the Earth.

Chandrayaan-3 is expected to land near the lunar south pole region on 23 August 2023, where it will deploy the rover and conduct various scientific experiments. The mission aims to demonstrate the end-to-end landing and roving capabilities of India, as well as to study the lunar surface and subsurface using various instruments. Some of the payloads on board the lander and rover are: Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA), Chandra’s Surface Thermo physical Experiment (ChaSTE), Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA), Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA), Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS), and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS).

Chandrayaan-3 follows the footsteps of its predecessors, Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2, which were also launched by ISRO in 2008 and 2019 respectively. Chandrayaan-1 was the first Indian lunar probe, which consisted of an orbiter and an impactor. The impactor, named Moon Impact Probe (MIP), made history by discovering the presence of water molecules on the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-1 also carried several international payloads from NASA, ESA, Bulgaria, and Sweden.

Chandrayaan-2 was the second Indian lunar mission, which consisted of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover. The orbiter is still operational and has been providing high-resolution images and data of the moon. The lander and rover, however, failed to soft-land on the lunar surface due to a glitch in the landing guidance software. Despite the setback, Chandrayaan-2 achieved 95% of its objectives and paved the way for Chandrayaan-3.

With Chandrayaan-3 entering lunar orbit, India has become one of the few countries in the world to have successfully sent multiple spacecraft to the moon. The Chandrayaan programme is a testament to India's scientific prowess and ambition in space exploration. The programme also serves as a stepping stone for India's future interplanetary missions, such as Gaganyaan, Aditya-L1, and Shukrayaan-1.

Source:

(1) Chandrayaan-3 - Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). https://www.isro.gov.in/Chandrayaan3_New.html.

(2) Chandrayaan-3 - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrayaan-3.

(3) NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=CHANDRYN3.

(4) Chandrayaan-1 - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrayaan-1.

(5) Chandrayaan programme - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrayaan_programme.

(6) Chandrayaan-1, India’s first Moon mission - The Planetary Society. https://www.planetary.org/space-missions/chandrayaan-1.

(7) With Chandrayaan-3 entering Lunar orbit, all Indian Lunar crafts ... - WION. https://www.wionews.com/india-news/with-chandrayaan-3-entering-lunar-orbit-all-indian-lunar-crafts-have-circled-the-moon-622761.

FAQ's

Has Chandrayaan-3 enter Moon's orbit?

Chandrayaan-3 has been successfully inserted into the lunar orbit. A retro-burning at the Perilune was commanded from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX), ISRO said. Perilune is the spacecraft's closest point to the moon.

क्या चंद्रयान 3 चंद्रमा की कक्षा में प्रवेश कर चुका है?

चंद्रयान-3 सफलतापूर्वक चंद्रमा की कक्षा में स्थापित हो गया है । इसरो ने कहा, मिशन ऑपरेशंस कॉम्प्लेक्स (एमओएक्स) से पेरिल्यून में रेट्रो-बर्निंग का आदेश दिया गया था। पेरिल्यून अंतरिक्ष यान का चंद्रमा से निकटतम बिंदु है।

When did Chandrayaan-3 enter Moon orbit?

With each accomplished milestone, India's Chandrayaan-3 mission continues its journey towards an unprecedented lunar landing achievement. Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) manoeuvre was completed successfully today (August 05, 2023). With this, Chandrayaan 3 has been successfully inserted into a Lunar orbit, ISRO informed.

In which orbit is Chandrayaan-3 now?

Chandrayaan-3 is successfully inserted into the lunar orbit. The orbit achieved is 164 km x 18074 km, as intended.