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Also See: Chandrayaan 3 Moon Landing Live
If all goes well, Vikram, the Chandrayaan-3 lander, will touchdown a little after 6pm on Wednesday and, a few hours later, the rover named Pragyan will roll out of its belly.
On Tuesday, Isrosaid all systems were working as per plan.“The mission is on schedule. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing. The mission operations complex (MOX) is buzzing with energy & excitement,” the agency said.
However, moon missions have been on for more than five decades yet soft-landing on the lunar surface remains a challenge. Here’s why:
Challenges ahead for Chandrayaan-3
Soft landing
Lack of atmosphere makes it hard to slow down. Systems should read variation in local gravity and prevent ‘communication shadows’.
Lunar dust
Landing by firing engines causes reverse flow of hot gases and dust that can disrupt systems.
ISRO moon mission: Chandrayaan-3 Rover to leave India’s Imprint on the lunar surface
Extreme temperatures
The lander and the rover will be exposed to extreme temperatures that vary from 54 degrees Celsius during day to -203 degrees Celsius at night.
Orbiting moon
Moon’s ‘lumpy’ gravity due to uneven mass distribution influences spacecraft’s orbit. Needed: Precise knowledge of temperatures from 100km away.
Deep-space communication
Every message between mission control and spacecraft takes a few minutes to reach. Signals become weak with astral ‘background noise’ that gets picked up by antennas.
Chandrayaan-3 Will Be First Lander To Land On Moon’s South Pole – Here’s Why It Is So Important
Difficulties spacecraft overcame
Trajectory & accuracy
Moon is 3.8 lakh km away from Earth. Moon’s different parts have different pulls that affect the spacecraft’s trajectory.
Trans-lunar injection & lunar capture
The challenge posed by continuous change in Moon’s location. Intersection of spacecraft and Moon’s path must be predicted in advance with accuracy. Narrow margin of error.
Where can Chandrayaan-3 mission be live-streamed?
India’s third lunar mission can be streamed live from 5:27pm.
Isro official Website: Tune in to the official Isro website to catch the live stream as the spacecraft makes its descent onto the lunar surface.
YouTube: The Isro’s official YouTube channel will be broadcasting the landing, providing a seamless experience for space enthusiasts around the world.
Facebook: Follow Isro’s official Facebook page to join the global audience eagerly awaiting the moment of lunar touchdown.
Watch Chandrayaan-3 Post-Touchdown Objectives Explained: What will lander & rover do after Moon touchdown?
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