Chandrayaan-3: India's lunar odyssey towards the South Pole

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch Chandrayaan-3, the successor to Chandrayaan-2, today at 2:35 PM.

Chandrayaan-3 is India's third lunar exploration mission and will be carried out as part of the fourth operational mission (M4) of the LVM3 launcher.

ISRO aims to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface with Chandrayaan-3's lunar module and conduct rover exploration, pushing the boundaries of lunar expeditions.

This mission holds great significance as it will attempt the first soft landing near the lunar South Pole, breaking away from previous landings near the lunar equator.

The components of Chandrayaan-3 include a Lander Module (LM), a Propulsion Module (PM), and a rover named "Pragyan," which will gather scientific data on the lunar surface.

The lander and rover are designed to operate for a single lunar daylight period, which is approximately 14 Earth days.

In honour of the renowned Indian scientist Vikram Sarabhai, the lander for this mission is named "Vikram."

The name "Pragyan" has been given to the rover, derived from a Sanskrit word meaning "wisdom."

Chandrayaan-3 will be carried by the GSLV Mk III or LVM3 rocket, which has been employed for the fourth time and will transport the 3,900 kg spacecraft to the Moon.

With this mission, India aspires to join the exclusive club of countries that have successfully accomplished lunar landings—namely, the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China.

Chandrayaan-3 signifies a major stride forward in ISRO's pursuit of future interplanetary missions and scientific exploration.

The mission's three phases consist of an earth-centric phase, a lunar transfer phase, and a moon-centric phase.

Through the deployment of the rover and in-situ scientific experiments, Chandrayaan-3 aims to expand our understanding of the Moon and its potential for future missions.

Chandrayaan-3's launch represents India's ambitious step towards unlocking the mysteries of space and bringing the Moon closer to our collective curiosity.