There is growing interest among Indians and those outside who are anxiously anticipating the final leg of the Chandrayaan 3 mission as the soft landing technique approaches by the hour and minute.
On Wednesday at approximately 6:04 PM IST, India’s ambitious Chandrayaan 3 lunar mission is slated to make a soft landing on the moon’s surface. Let’s look at some facts about this phase, known as the “Soft Landing on the Moon,” as India gets ready for this historic occasion.
Let’s clarify what a “soft landing” is, what “17 minutes of terror” means about a gentle landing, and which countries have done this successfully.
What Is ‘Soft-Landing’ On The Moon?
A spaceship arriving on the Moon’s surface is known as a moon landing or lunar landing.
In contrast to a hard landing, a soft landing is any sort of airplane, rocket, or spaceship landing that does not significantly harm or destroy the craft or its payload. The spacecraft for the Chandrayaan 3 project consists of a Rover, a Propulsion Module, and an indigenous Lander Module (LM).
The Lander will be able to soft-land at a chosen location on the moon and release the Rover, which will conduct an in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface while it is moving.
A soft landing on the moon involves a spaceship descent under control for its own safety and a slow touchdown. To counteract gravity, the lander employs reverse thrust to slow its descent and ensure a gentle touchdown.
What Does Chandrayaan 3’s ’17 Minutes Of Terror’ Entail?
The crucial soft-landing procedure, during which the lander must engage its engines at precisely the proper moments, has been termed “17 minutes of terror” by ISRO officials.
It will achieve a velocity of 1.68 km/second at a height of 30 km, at which point the thruster engines must be retro-fired to slow it down till it reaches a speed of zero before reaching the moon.
The lander module has four thruster engines connected; initially, it will go from a range of 30 km to a range of 7.5 km to a range of 6.8 km, at which point that engine will be shut off and work on a reverse thrust mechanism.
Before actually touching down, the lander will examine the lunar surface with its cameras and sensing sensors for any slopes or craters.
The smallest amount of time needed for this process is 17 minutes and 21 seconds, and the greatest amount of time is 17 minutes and 32 seconds. As a result, it is known as “17 minutes of terror.” However, depending on the spacecraft’s real-time analysis and the landing technique, this could alter.
Also, Read How Much Does ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 Mission Cost?
On the other side, a lunar landing technique known as “hard-landing” is carried out at a faster rate of fall. These landings usually result in the impending destruction of the spacecraft.
When the spacecraft’s mission is finished, hard landings have a use. Luna-25, Russia’s first effort to land a spacecraft on the Moon, serves as a current illustration. This mission failed, and the spacecraft crashed into the moon’s surface.
Nations That Have Succeeded In Soft Landing On The Moon
Only three nations—Russia, the United States of America, and China—had accomplished this amazing achievement as of August 2023.
If the mission is successful, India will be the fourth nation to make a soft landing on the moon. India will accomplish this, making it the first nation in history to set foot on the lunar south pole.
More details on how these nations accomplished this achievement are provided below.
Russia:
- Russia was the first nation to successfully land on the moon in 1959.
- Russia accomplished the first successful soft lunar landing in 1966.
- Through an unmanned mission, it was successful in retrieving lunar samples in 1970.
USA:
- The US made its first soft landing in 1966, a few months after Russia.
- The US has made 11 soft landings as of 2022, the most in the world, and it is the only nation to have sent people to the moon.
China:
- Since the USSR’s Luna 24 mission, the moon has not been visited since Chang’e 3 arrived in 2013.
- Chang’e 4 made history in 2019 by performing the first soft landing on the ‘dark’ side of the moon. Chang’e 4 made history as the first nation to do so.
Chandrayaan: A Chronology of India’s Moon Exploration Attempts
- Chandrayaan-1 reached the lunar surface in 2008 despite being built for an impact landing rather than a soft one.
- The lander for Chandrayaan-2 collapsed in 2019 while the orbiter was still in service.
- The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft will make an attempt at a soft landing on the moon’s South Pole on August 23, 2023.
ISRO’s ambitious Moon mission, Chandrayaan 3 Landing Time
On Wednesday at 6:04 IST, Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module (LM), which includes the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan), will touch down on the lunar surface.
When and where can I watch the live stream of the Chandrayaan-3 landing?
Online On Wednesday at 5:20 IST, the live telecast of the landing operation will start. It will be possible to watch the landing sequence live on the ISRO website, YouTube channel, and social media accounts.
