Shiva Joshi, Pune
Chandrayaan-3 lander module is scheduled to land at 6.04 am on Wednesday on the lunar surface, as to which India awaits to be in a celebratory spirit. For ISRO, however, it will only be a partial victory. Post touchdown, ISRO scientists will begin their primary work, analyzing tons of data from five scientific instruments on board the Lander (3 payloads), Rover (2 payloads), and Spacecraft for the next lunar day (14 Earth days).
Shortly after the touchdown, one side panel of the Vikram lander will unfold, creating a ramp for the Pragyan rover.
After four hours, the six-wheeled Pragyan will descend from the lander’s belly onto the lunar surface. It will move at a pace of 1 cm per second while utilizing navigation cameras to examine its surroundings. Its wheels are engraved with the national tricolour and the Isro emblem. The tricolour and the Isro logo will be imprinted on the lunar regolith (soil) as the rover rolls, leaving a trace of India on the Moon. The rover’s equipment is set up to deliver payloads that contain information about the Moon’s surface.
It will gather data regarding the elements of the Moon’s atmosphere and transmit it to the lander. The Vikram lander has three payloads that will measure the density of near-surface plasma (ions and electrons), assess the temperature characteristics of the lunar surface, monitor seismicity near the landing spot, as well as mapping the composition of the lunar crust and mantle.
“The actual distance traveled by the rover during the 14 Earth days can’t be estimated now. Because that will be done based on various things (calculations)”. Stated ISRO Chairman S Somanath to TOI.
According to the space ministry, Chandrayaan-3’s primary goals are to show safe and soft landings on the lunar surface, rover roving, and in-situ scientific investigations. After the US, Russia, and China, India will be the fourth nation in the world to complete the landing feat successfully, but it will be the only nation to do so on the lunar South Pole, according to him.
ISRO informed Space Minister Jitendra Singh on Monday about the condition of Chandrayaan-3, stating that all systems are operating without a hitch and that no complications are anticipated for Wednesday.
Singh stated, “The reason why we are going to the South Pole is we want to explore the unexplored”. He explained how they had received images of dark (permanently shadowed) craters on the Moon, suggesting that it may contain water. If Chandrayaan-3 discovers further evidence of water comprising hydrogen and oxygen, it will open up many scientific possibilities. If hydrogen could be extracted from water, it may be a rich source of clean energy.