Chandrayaan-3: Vikram lander successfully lands on Moon; India becomes 4th country to make soft landing on lunar surface

The Lander Module LM of the Indian Space Research Organisationrsquos ISRO third lunar mission Chandrayaan3 launched on July 14 has successfully landed on Moon The LM is propelling towards the moon surface in the intended trajectory the space organisation saidThe successful landing of the Lander Module on the Moons surface is a significant achievementThe ISRO has been actively sharing updates on the missions progress through social media indicating that the systems are undergoing regular checks and that everything is proceeding as scheduled The organizations Mission Operations Complex MOX is described as being full of energy and excitement which is not surprising given the anticipation surrounding such a significant lunar missionPrime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Indian Space Research Organisation for the success of lunar missionHistoric day for Indias space sector Congratulations to isro for the remarkable success of Chandrayaan3 lunar mission the PM tweetedHistoric day for Indias space sector Congratulations to isro for the remarkable success of Chandrayaan3 lunar mission httpstcoF1UrgJklfpmdash Narendra Modi narendramodi August 23 2023On August 18 the ISRO successfully performed the first deboosting operation that reduced its orbit to 113 km x 157 km This was performed the day after the lander module separated from the propulsion module after a 34daylong journey towards the Moon On August 20 the ISRO performed the second and final deebost of the Lander Module to reduce the Lander Module to 25 km x 134 kmLander with Rover in its belly is in 25 km x 134 km orbit It is set to land on the Moon on August 23 around 604 pm IST Powered descent is expected to commence around 545 pmA day before the crucial soft landing of the Chandrayaan3 Lander Module on the Moon surface the Indian Space Research Organisation ISRO said that the mission is on schedule ldquoThe mission is on schedule Systems are undergoing regular checks Smooth sailing is continuing The Mission Operations Complex MOX is buzzed with energy amp excitementrdquo the ISRO posted on social media platform X formerly TwitterHeres a breakdown of the key details about Chandrayaan3The Chandrayaan3 landing module is anticipated to touch down on the moons surface at 834 am Eastern time on Wednesday 604 pm in IndiaPresently the lander is in an elliptical orbit around the moon coming as close as roughly 15 miles above the lunar surface At approximately 814 am Eastern time on Wednesday the spacecraft will ignite its engines to exit its orbit and commence a descent towards the surface The engines will also help control its descent for a gentle landingThe Indian Space Research Organization ISRO responsible for the nations space program will offer a live broadcast from the mission control room in Bengaluru The live stream will be available on ISROs YouTube channel and website starting at 750 am Eastern timeThe term Chandrayaan translates to moon craft in Hindi Aside from the propulsion module that placed the spacecraft in lunar orbit the landing module comprises the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover both aimed at landing in the moons south polar region This is an unmanned mission no astronauts are on boardThe chosen landing date of August 23 aligns with the sunrise at the landing site The mission is set to conclude two weeks later coinciding with sunset While on the moons surface the solarpowered lander and rover will employ various instruments to conduct measurements related to thermal seismic and mineralogical aspectsHere are other details of the landingIndias Chandrayaan3 is an uncrewed lunar exploration mission aimed at achieving a successful landing on the moons surfaceThe mission follows Indias previous attempt Chandrayaan2 which ended in a crash almost four years agoThe landing is significant because it targets an area of the moons southern pole that hasnt been explored beforeThe landing module consists of the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover both of which are designed for exploring the moons south polar regionChandrayaan3s success takes on added importance due to a recent failed lunar landing attempt by Russias Luna25 missionIndias space program is a source of national pride and reflects the countrys ambitions as a rising geopolitical powerThe missions success would make India the fourth country to achieve a moon landing after the United States Soviet Union and ChinaIndias space exploration efforts align with its diplomatic push for a leadership role on the global stage and successful missions bolster its image as a technological powerhouse