India's Chandrayaan-3 to make historic attempt at moon landing today
Representational image of Chandrayaan 3 mission.
Just a few hours from now, India will make its latest attempt at a moon landing, as its Chandrayaan, or 'Mooncraft' lands on the Moon's South Pole.
The touchdown which comes days after Russia failed to achieve the same feat is scheduled for shortly after 6:00 pm India time (1230 GMT) on Wednesday (August 23rd).
Success or failure
If it succeeds in its attempt, the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft will be the first to land on the lunar South Pole — a region whose shadowed craters are believed to house water ice that could support a future moon settlement.
Previously, in 2019, India's effort to crest the lunar surface had ended in failure. However, as per Indian space chief KSivan, the latest photos transmitted back home by the Vikram lander give every indication that the last leg of the voyage would succeed.
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Talking to news agency AFP, Sivan said: "It is giving some encouragement that we will be able to achieve the landing mission without any problem."
Watch |Chandrayaan-3: What is soft landing and why it is important?
In 2019, ISRO lost contact with the previous lunar module just moments before its slated landing. This time "Chandrayaan-3 is going to go with more ruggedness," said Sivan, adding "We have confidence, and we expect that everything will go smoothly."
Abuzz with excitement
India launched its Chandrayaan-3 mission six weeks back. The spacecraftuses rockets much less powerful than those used by the United States for its Apollo Missions in the 1960s and 1970s. It pays homage to India's "frugal engineering". The nation's latest moon mission carries a price tag of $74.6 million, far lower than other countries.
After taking off in front of thousands of cheering spectators, the probe spent some time orbiting Earth several times to gain speed before embarking on its lunar journey.
Last week, the lander Vikram, which in Sanskrit means 'Valour', detached from thespacecraft. Since entering the lunar orbit on August 5, it has beamed back images of the moon's surface, which have added to the buzz.
Also read |Chandrayaan-3: Why last 20 minutes before soft-landing of Vikram lander will be most crucial
On Tuesday, August 22, a day before the landing, ISRO took to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to announce that its mission control complex was "buzzed with energy & excitement" and that the "smooth sailing is continuing."
(With inputs from agencies)
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