<p>India’s&nbsp;historic mission to the Moon could have met a disastrous fate in the sky had scientists not been able to make a vital calculation to avoid a devastating collision, the&nbsp;Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) revealed Monday (Apr 29). It was all because of&nbsp;ISRO’s&nbsp;proactive and decisive space management that&nbsp;the Chandrayaan-3 mission could be saved&nbsp;and successfully executed as a&nbsp;key&nbsp;decision&nbsp;was taken&nbsp;even before the rocket lifted&nbsp;off.</p>

<h2><strong>What happened?</strong></h2>

<p>It all happened on July 14, 2023,&nbsp;the day&nbsp;when&nbsp;ISRO’s&nbsp;Chandrayaan-3&nbsp;was scheduled&nbsp;for launch.&nbsp;Just when the&nbsp;scientists were about to press the launch button,&nbsp;a potential threat in space was detected.</p>

<p>ISRO’s&nbsp;mission control team observed that if&nbsp;the mission was launched&nbsp;at the scheduled time, it could intersect with the trajectory of a piece of space debris.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ved="2ahUKEwiRpur7p-eFAxUl2TgGHV9PBYoQxfQBKAB6BAgOEAE" href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/isro-to-tie-up-with-elon-musks-spacex-to-launch-satellite-676290" jsname="YKoRaf" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/isro-to-tie-up-with-elon-musks-spacex-to-launch-satellite-676290&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiRpur7p-eFAxUl2TgGHV9PBYoQxfQBKAB6BAgOEAE">ISRO to tie up with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to launch satellite</a></strong></p>

<p>We&nbsp;know,&nbsp;that&nbsp;objects fly in space with high velocity&nbsp;and&nbsp;they&nbsp;can break spacecraft and satellites into pieces irrespective of their size upon collision.</p>

<h2><strong>The solution</strong></h2>

<p>The ISRO team came up with a simple yet effective solution.&nbsp;They decided to delay the launch by&nbsp;a mere four seconds, which was&nbsp;enough to steer clear of the potential collision.</p>

<p>This decision&nbsp;was based&nbsp;on a detailed Collision Avoidance Analysis (COLA) as part of&nbsp;ISRO's&nbsp;standard Launch Clearance Protocol.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ved="2ahUKEwiRpur7p-eFAxUl2TgGHV9PBYoQxfQBKAB6BAgHEAE" href="https://www.wionews.com/science/isro-new-year-gift-xposat-will-lift-off-on-january-1-will-study-black-holes-674375" jsname="YKoRaf" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/science/isro-new-year-gift-xposat-will-lift-off-on-january-1-will-study-black-holes-674375&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiRpur7p-eFAxUl2TgGHV9PBYoQxfQBKAB6BAgHEAE">ISRO’s New Year’s gift: XPoSat will lift off on January 1, will study black holes</a></strong></p>

<p>“For LVM3-M4/ Chandrayaan-3, the nominal lift-off had to be delayed by 4 seconds based on COLA analysis to avoid close approaches between a debris object and the injected satellites in their orbital phase due to overlapping operational altitudes,”&nbsp;ISRO revealed in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.isro.gov.in/Indian_Space_Situational_Assessment_Report_ISSAR2023.html#:~:text=For%20LVM3%2DM4%2F%20Chandrayaan%2D,due%20to%20overlapping%20operational%20altitudes." target="_blank">a detailed blog post</a>&nbsp;on its website.</p>

<h2><strong>Significance</strong></h2>

<p>The last-minute manoeuvre&nbsp;not only&nbsp;showed the threats posed by space debris&nbsp;but also&nbsp;demonstrated&nbsp;ISRO’s&nbsp;ability to identify and overcome such challenges.</p>

<p>ISRO&nbsp;in&nbsp;its Space Situational Assessment Report (ISSAR)&nbsp;revealed how it deploys advanced technologies and strategic planning to maintain such safety standards.</p>

<p><img alt=" Indian Space Situational Assessment Report (ISSAR) for 2023" src="https://www.isro.gov.in/media_isro/image/index/issar2904242.jpg" /></p>

<p>In its report, the space agency said it carried out 23 such collision avoidance manoeuvres to safeguard its assets in the space.<br />
<br />
<em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


India’s historic mission to the Moon could have met a disastrous fate in the sky had scientists not been able to make a vital calculation to avoid a devastating collision, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) revealed Monday (Apr 29).

India’s historic mission to the Moon could have met a disastrous fate in the sky had scientists not been able to make a vital calculation to avoid a devastating collision, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) revealed Monday (Apr 29). It was all because of ISRO’s proactive and decisive space management that the Chandrayaan-3 mission could be saved and successfully executed as a key decision was taken even before the rocket lifted off. What happened? It all happened on July 14, 2023, the day when ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 was scheduled for launch. Just when the scientists were about to press the launch button, a potential threat in space was detected. ISRO’s mission control team observed that if the mission was launched at the scheduled time, it could intersect with the trajectory of a piece of space debris. Also read: ISRO to tie up with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to launch satellite We know, that objects fly in space with high velocity and they can break spacecraft and satellites into pieces irrespective of their size upon collision. The solution The ISRO team came up with a simple yet effective solution. They decided to delay the launch by a mere four seconds, which was enough to steer clear of the potential collision. This decision was based on a detailed Collision Avoidance Analysis (COLA) as part of ISRO's standard Launch Clearance Protocol. Also read: ISRO’s New Year’s gift: XPoSat will lift off on January 1, will study black holes “For LVM3-M4/ Chandrayaan-3, the nominal lift-off had to be delayed by 4 seconds based on COLA analysis to avoid close approaches between a debris object and the injected satellites in their orbital phase due to overlapping operational altitudes,” ISRO revealed in a detailed blog post on its website. Significance The last-minute manoeuvre not only showed the threats posed by space debris but also demonstrated ISRO’s ability to identify and overcome such challenges. ISRO in its Space Situational Assessment Report (ISSAR) revealed how it deploys advanced technologies and strategic planning to maintain such safety standards. In its report, the space agency said it carried out 23 such collision avoidance manoeuvres to safeguard its assets in the space. (With inputs from agencies)

ISRO delayed Chandrayaan-3’s launch by four seconds to avoid massive collision in space

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<p>The Chairman of the Indian space agency has confirmed that the Chandrayaan-3 launch would happen as planned at 2:35pm, Friday, 14th July, from the Indian spaceport at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Chairman Somanath and the top officials of ISRO have been reviewing the launch preparation activities from the spaceport, since Wednesday. He made the announcement while speaking to the media at the Changalamman Devi temple near the spaceport, where he offered prayers ahead of the launch. The countdown for the high-profile launch mission commenced at 1:00pm IST on Thursday.</p>

<p>On Thursday noon, Somanath and officials from the spaceport presented holy offerings at the temple and offered prayers. "The Chandrayaan-3 launch is at 2:35pm tomorrow, our strong and big rocket LVM3 will launch this mission. Tomorrow, Chandrayaan-3 will start its long journey and orbit the Earth, thereafter it will slowly travel to the moon over the next 30 days. If all goes well, we are looking at a Lunar soft-landing around 23rd August or in the following days" he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch this report:&nbsp;</strong></p>

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<p>Speaking about the Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2 missions, he said that the maiden Indian moon mission had lived for more than six months and found the presence of water on the moon, whereas the Chandrayaan-2 mission found water (in liquid state) on the moon and even confirmed it. He said that each of the previous missions was successful in its own way.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I need the blessings of Changalamma Devi (the temple's presiding deity), so I came here for praying for the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission" he said.</p>

<p>Earlier in the day, a team of officials from the ISRO headquarters had offered prayers at the revered Venkateshwara Swami temple (commonly known as Tirupati temple) at Tirumala. While executing important missions space agencies and their teams follow a lucky charm or a tradition that is inspired by their respective cultures. For example, ahead of a mission, NASA-JPL teams exchange jars of 'lucky peanuts' and consume them during the mission.</p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>


The Chairman of the Indian space agency has confirmed that the Chandrayaan-3 launch would happen as planned at 2:35pm, Friday, 14th July, from the Indian spaceport at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

The Chairman of the Indian space agency has confirmed that the Chandrayaan-3 launch would happen as planned at 2:35pm, Friday, 14th July, from the Indian spaceport at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Chairman Somanath and the top officials of ISRO have been reviewing the launch preparation activities from the spaceport, since Wednesday. He made the announcement while speaking to the media at the Changalamman Devi temple near the spaceport, where he offered prayers ahead of the launch. The countdown for the high-profile launch mission commenced at 1:00pm IST on Thursday. On Thursday noon, Somanath and officials from the spaceport presented holy offerings at the temple and offered prayers. "The Chandrayaan-3 launch is at 2:35pm tomorrow, our strong and big rocket LVM3 will launch this mission. Tomorrow, Chandrayaan-3 will start its long journey and orbit the Earth, thereafter it will slowly travel to the moon over the next 30 days. If all goes well, we are looking at a Lunar soft-landing around 23rd August or in the following days" he said. Watch this report: × Speaking about the Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2 missions, he said that the maiden Indian moon mission had lived for more than six months and found the presence of water on the moon, whereas the Chandrayaan-2 mission found water (in liquid state) on the moon and even confirmed it. He said that each of the previous missions was successful in its own way. "I need the blessings of Changalamma Devi (the temple's presiding deity), so I came here for praying for the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission" he said. Earlier in the day, a team of officials from the ISRO headquarters had offered prayers at the revered Venkateshwara Swami temple (commonly known as Tirupati temple) at Tirumala. While executing important missions space agencies and their teams follow a lucky charm or a tradition that is inspired by their respective cultures. For example, ahead of a mission, NASA-JPL teams exchange jars of 'lucky peanuts' and consume them during the mission. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Chandrayaan-3 launch: ISRO chief says if all goes well, lunar landing on August 23

India aims for the moon again. ISRO is all set for the launch of Chandrayaan-3. The Chandrayaan-3 is set for a launch on July 14. However, there is a slight change in plans. Instead of a success-based design like in Chandrayaan-2. ISRO opts for a failure-based design. But what's the reason?

Why ISRO opted for a 'failure-based design' in Chandrayaan-3

<p>If all goes as per plan, India's heaviest rocket LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3) will lift off at 14:30hrs (Indian Standard Time) on July 13, from the second launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, carrying India's third Lunar mission- Chandrayaan-3, WION has learnt. ISRO has, however, not confirmed the launch date officially.&nbsp;</p>

<p>At present, the spacecraft has been integrated with the payload adapter, a piece of hardware that connects the spacecraft to the upper stage of the rocket. The 640-tonne LVM3 rocket is in its final stage of integration and the cryogenic upper stage is soon to be stacked atop the vehicle, following which the spacecraft will be mounted, securely nestled in the payload fairing (rocket nose cone). The launch vehicle is expected to be moved from the vehicle assembly building to the second launchpad around July 7.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Dr S Somanath, Chairman, ISRO told WION that the Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover would retain the names used in Chandrayaan-2. This implies that the Lunar lander will be known as 'Vikram', a tribute to Dr Vikram A Sarabhai, the brain behind the Indian space programme. The rover will be known as 'Pragyan', a Sanskrit word that means wisdom. We are looking at a Lunar landing around August-end, Dr Somanath added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>India is undertaking its third Lunar mission and second Lunar landing attempt, after the previous mission Chandrayaan-2 could not perform soft landing. While barely two kilometres above the Lunar surface, as it was approaching for a vertical landing, ISRO lost contact with the then 'Vikram' Lunar lander. The lander had made a hard landing on the lunar surface, which it did not survive, thus leaving the Lunar landing mission incomplete. However, the orbiter from Chandrayaan-2 continues to circle the moon and provide science data from its payloads. Therefore, Chandrayaan-3 will not be having an orbiter that is mounted with multiple science payloads. Instead, it will serve as a propulsion module that will help the integrated spacecraft reach the Lunar orbit.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">All hands on deck for 14:30hrs, 13th July, Thursday launch of<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chandrayaan3?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chandrayaan3</a> 🚀🚀🚀<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/isro?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#isro</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/india?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#india</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/moon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#moon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/exploration?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#exploration</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/science?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#science</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tech?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tech</a><br />
🇮🇳🌕<br />
<br />
PS: Let’s wait to hear the golden words from ISRO (maybe in a week ?) <a href="https://t.co/ZtJseN6mtD">pic.twitter.com/ZtJseN6mtD</a></p>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1673997741826134017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Chandrayaan-3 orbiter weighs lesser&nbsp;than its predecessor. However, the payload mass reduced from the orbiter has been added to the Chandrayaan-3 Lunar lander. This time around, ISRO had ruggedised the Lunar added, placed larger solar panels for better power generation, added more fuel that can be used for manoeuvring, undertaken measures for failure tolerance and increased the scientific payloads.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The added mass on the Lunar lander comprises more fuel, more ruggedisation, measures for failure tolerance and strengthening of landing legs and increased scientific payloads, larger solar panels for better power generation," Dr S Somanath, Chairman, ISRO told WION. He was responding to WION's question on whether the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft would weigh lesser than its predecessor (which weighed around 3.6 tonnes or 3,600kgs).&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has arrived at spaceport Sriharikota: ISRO chief to WION&nbsp;</strong></p>

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<p>Earlier, the chairman of ISRO had told WION that the launch window for Chandrayaan-3 on board the LVM3 rocket would be between July 12 and July 19. The launch window is the ideal period for a launch mission and any day within that interval would be chosen based on a host of factors. Given that the Indian Lunar spacecraft would require around six weeks to travel from the earth to the moon (a distance of 3,84,000kms), precise calculations are carried out and the launch time is determined down to the minute.&nbsp;</p>

<p>When determining the time of launch, the mission planners consider the weather forecast, a flight path that is free of space debris, the dynamic position of the destination (with respect to Earth), the time taken to travel to the destination, the manoeuvres involved, the rocket being used, the purpose of the mission, day or night time at the destination (during the time of landing), the movement and impact of other heavenly bodies etc.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Given that the launch window for Chandryaan-3 is just around a week, ISRO would work towards ensuring that the launch happens in the first few days of the window. It is pertinent to remember that Chandrayaan-2 was originally scheduled for launch on 15th July 2019, but ISRO called off that day's launch, owing to a technical snag that was observed while the rocket's cryogenic fuels were being filled. ISRO took a week to rectify the issue and finally carried out the launch on 22nd July 2019. Therefore, ISRO's goal would be to launch in the first two days of the window, so that they can have a handful of days at hand, in case of any unexpected technical issues.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Queried about how confident he was about the positive mission outcome of Chandrayaan-3, Dr Somanath had told WION that he is always confident, but space is an unforgiving domain, where only rigorous testing and clear decision-making yield favourable results. Smilingly, making a mention of luck being involved, he said that "even luck comes out of hard work and the perseverance to do the right thing at the right time".&nbsp;</p>

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If all goes as per plan, India's heaviest rocket LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3) will lift off at 14:30hrs (Indian Standard Time) on July 13, from the second launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, carrying India's third Lunar mission- Chandrayaan-3, WION has learnt.

If all goes as per plan, India's heaviest rocket LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3) will lift off at 14:30hrs (Indian Standard Time) on July 13, from the second launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, carrying India's third Lunar mission- Chandrayaan-3, WION has learnt. ISRO has, however, not confirmed the launch date officially. At present, the spacecraft has been integrated with the payload adapter, a piece of hardware that connects the spacecraft to the upper stage of the rocket. The 640-tonne LVM3 rocket is in its final stage of integration and the cryogenic upper stage is soon to be stacked atop the vehicle, following which the spacecraft will be mounted, securely nestled in the payload fairing (rocket nose cone). The launch vehicle is expected to be moved from the vehicle assembly building to the second launchpad around July 7. Dr S Somanath, Chairman, ISRO told WION that the Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover would retain the names used in Chandrayaan-2. This implies that the Lunar lander will be known as 'Vikram', a tribute to Dr Vikram A Sarabhai, the brain behind the Indian space programme. The rover will be known as 'Pragyan', a Sanskrit word that means wisdom. We are looking at a Lunar landing around August-end, Dr Somanath added. India is undertaking its third Lunar mission and second Lunar landing attempt, after the previous mission Chandrayaan-2 could not perform soft landing. While barely two kilometres above the Lunar surface, as it was approaching for a vertical landing, ISRO lost contact with the then 'Vikram' Lunar lander. The lander had made a hard landing on the lunar surface, which it did not survive, thus leaving the Lunar landing mission incomplete. However, the orbiter from Chandrayaan-2 continues to circle the moon and provide science data from its payloads. Therefore, Chandrayaan-3 will not be having an orbiter that is mounted with multiple science payloads. Instead, it will serve as a propulsion module that will help the integrated spacecraft reach the Lunar orbit. All hands on deck for 14:30hrs, 13th July, Thursday launch of#Chandrayaan3 🚀🚀🚀#isro #india #moon #exploration #science #tech 🇮🇳🌕 PS: Let’s wait to hear the golden words from ISRO (maybe in a week ?) pic.twitter.com/ZtJseN6mtD — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) June 28, 2023 × The Chandrayaan-3 orbiter weighs lesser than its predecessor. However, the payload mass reduced from the orbiter has been added to the Chandrayaan-3 Lunar lander. This time around, ISRO had ruggedised the Lunar added, placed larger solar panels for better power generation, added more fuel that can be used for manoeuvring, undertaken measures for failure tolerance and increased the scientific payloads. The added mass on the Lunar lander comprises more fuel, more ruggedisation, measures for failure tolerance and strengthening of landing legs and increased scientific payloads, larger solar panels for better power generation," Dr S Somanath, Chairman, ISRO told WION. He was responding to WION's question on whether the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft would weigh lesser than its predecessor (which weighed around 3.6 tonnes or 3,600kgs). Watch: Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has arrived at spaceport Sriharikota: ISRO chief to WION × Earlier, the chairman of ISRO had told WION that the launch window for Chandrayaan-3 on board the LVM3 rocket would be between July 12 and July 19. The launch window is the ideal period for a launch mission and any day within that interval would be chosen based on a host of factors. Given that the Indian Lunar spacecraft would require around six weeks to travel from the earth to the moon (a distance of 3,84,000kms), precise calculations are carried out and the launch time is determined down to the minute. When determining the time of launch, the mission planners consider the weather forecast, a flight path that is free of space debris, the dynamic position of the destination (with respect to Earth), the time taken to travel to the destination, the manoeuvres involved, the rocket being used, the purpose of the mission, day or night time at the destination (during the time of landing), the movement and impact of other heavenly bodies etc. Given that the launch window for Chandryaan-3 is just around a week, ISRO would work towards ensuring that the launch happens in the first few days of the window. It is pertinent to remember that Chandrayaan-2 was originally scheduled for launch on 15th July 2019, but ISRO called off that day's launch, owing to a technical snag that was observed while the rocket's cryogenic fuels were being filled. ISRO took a week to rectify the issue and finally carried out the launch on 22nd July 2019. Therefore, ISRO's goal would be to launch in the first two days of the window, so that they can have a handful of days at hand, in case of any unexpected technical issues. Queried about how confident he was about the positive mission outcome of Chandrayaan-3, Dr Somanath had told WION that he is always confident, but space is an unforgiving domain, where only rigorous testing and clear decision-making yield favourable results. Smilingly, making a mention of luck being involved, he said that "even luck comes out of hard work and the perseverance to do the right thing at the right time". WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

WION Exclusive: Chandrayaan-3 launch on July 13, lunar landing by August-end