10 Lines on Chandrayaan – 3
1) ISRO plans to send Chandrayaan-3 on its third journey to the moon.
2) Chandrayaan-3 is the next project after Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-1.
3) It will demonstrate how safe it is to land and navigate on the moon.
4) Chandrayaan-3 was sent into space on July 14, 2023, at 2:35 pm IST.
5) The Chandrayaan-3 was launched from SDSC SHAR in Sriharikota.
6) The Chandrayaan-3 was launched almost four years after the Chandrayaan-2 failure.
7) According to reports, Chandrayaan-3 has cost about $77 million USD.
8) The Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM 3) rocket carried Chandrayaan-3 into space.
9) Chandrayaan-3’s main goals are to land safely on the surface, show how the rover works, and do scientific tests on the surface.
10) Chandrayaan-3 is likely to land around August 23 or August 24.
Mystery of Moons South Pole
The matter of gold in the southern part of the moon continues to be a challenging subject. No country on Earth has yet reached the southern part of the moon. Not even countries like NASA, Europe, and China have been able to reach the southern part of the moon. The efforts of countries that will reach the southern part of the moon also persistently encounter failure. Even attempting to approach the southern pole of the moon’s surface… space programs are continuously facing setbacks and failures.
India’s Chandrayaan-2 and Russia’s Luna 25 missions attempted to explore the southern pole of the moon and both faced setbacks. Russia’s Luna 25, as well as India’s Chandrayaan-2, encountered failures when trying to land on the southern part of the moon’s surface. This marks Russia’s first exploration program towards the moon in the past 50 years. The lunar lander of Luna 25 aims to reduce the altitude over the lunar surface and encountered a crash during descent.
No Sunlight: In the craters of the moon’s southern hemisphere, sunlight doesn’t reach for about 2 billion years. Only the uppermost elevations receive sunlight. This is because the lunar south pole is tilted at 88.5 degrees. As a result, the sun’s light doesn’t reach the southern part of the moon. Due to this, the southern part of the moon remains a mystery, yet to be illuminated.
Expectations of Chandrayan 2
Here, the temperature reaches as low as minus 230 degrees Celsius. These are all incredibly challenging, icy, enigmatic, and profoundly mysterious terrains. Russia’s attempt to reach this region faced failure. The Chandrayaan-2 mission also encountered failure. This region, often dubbed the “cradle of science,” is the destination for Chandrayaan-3, which is expected to report the first success tomorrow.
Future Prospects
- Human Moon Missions Race: India, the US, and China are actively pursuing human moon missions after India’s Chandrayaan-1’s water molecule discovery in 2008.
- Progress and Challenges: While India has made strides, countries like the US and China have achieved landing and sample return missions. India’s efforts to develop heavier launch vehicles for more ambitious missions continue.
What is Lunar Dawn?
- Lunar dawn is the period on the Moon when the Sun is about to rise over the lunar horizon, resulting in the gradual illumination of the lunar surface, similar to Earth’s sunrise.
- During lunar dawn, the Moon’s surface transitions from darkness to light as the Sun’s rays gradually touch and illuminate different areas.
- It occurs due to the Moon’s rotation on its axis, causing changing lighting conditions as it orbits the Earth.
- Unlike Earth, the Moon lacks a significant atmosphere, resulting in distinct lighting, sharp shadows, and no diffusion of sunlight.
- Astronauts on lunar missions, like the Apollo missions, have observed the lunar dawn first-hand, providing unique perspectives on the Moon’s surface.
