Moon dream soars high
| Date :15-Jul-2023 |
By S Vijay Karthik
SRIHARIKOTA,
INDIA on Friday launched its ambitious third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3, eyeing a rare feat in Moon exploration so far only accomplished by the likes of the US, China and the former Soviet Union. The space agency said the technically challenging soft landing on lunar surface, which Chandrayaan-2 could not achieve, has been planned for 5.47 pm on August 23. Indian Space Research Organisation’s third lunar expedition in 15 years, the hugely anticipated Chandrayaan-3 embarked on its month-long journey towards the Moon, piggybacking on ISRO’s latest heavy lift launch vehicle, ‘Fat boy’ LVM3-M4 from the spaceport here. The mission cost was around an estimated Rs 600 crore, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said.
Chandrayaan-2 could not achieve the soft landing when communication with the Lander ‘Vikram’ was lost. As the 25 and a half hour countdown concluded, the LVM3-M4 rocket (formerly GSLVMkIII) also dubbed as ‘Fat boy’ for its heavylift capability, soared off majestically from the spaceport at the prefixed time of 2.35 pm from the second launch pad, leaving a trail of thick orange smoke. Thousands of spectators who had assembled here to watch the launch since morning broke into loud cheers and applauded as the launch vehicle soared into clear skies. Through the Chandrayaan-3 mission, scientists are aiming at mastering the technology of soft landing on the surface of the Moon. A successful mission would mean India becomes only the fourth country to accomplish the challenge, after the United States, China and the former Soviet Union. About 16 minutes after lift-off, Chandrayaan-3 got separated from the rocket and it would orbit the earth for about 5-6 times in an elliptical cycle with 170 km closest and 36,500 km farthest from earth moving towards the lunar orbit. A jubilant ISRO Chairman S Somanath said from the Mission Control Centre (MCC) the rocket had injected Chandrayaan-3 into a precise orbit.
“Congratulations, India. Chandrayaan-3 has started its journey towards Moon. Our dear LVM 3 has already put Chandrayaan-3 craft into the precise orbit around earth... And let us wish all the best for Chandrayaan 3 craft for its further orbit raising maneuvers and travel towards moon in the coming days,” he said. Mission Director S Mohana Kumar said that LVM3 rocket has once again proved to be the most reliable heavy lift vehicle of ISRO. “We are in the process of increasing the launch frequency of this vehicle considering the national requirements as well as satellite demands,” he said. Today’s mission was a ‘penance’ of many across ISRO, he added. Project Director P Veeramuthuvel said all the spacecraft health parameters, including power generation in propulsion module and lander module, were normal. Union Minister Jitendra Singh described Friday’s event as a moment of glory for India and moment of destiny for all those in Sriharikota. Lauding team ISRO for making India proud, he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi “for making this possible by unlocking the gates of Sriharikota and enabling India’s space sector.”
He said the PM had recently said sky is not the limit and living by his words “I think Chandrayaan has gone beyond the limit of sky to explore the unexplored horizons of the universe beyond.”