Chandrayaan-3 is the successor mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate full lunar safe landing and locomotion capabilities. It consists of a lander and a probe configuration. It is powered by LVM3 from Sriharikota’s SDSC SHAR. The propulsion module will transport the lander and rover configuration up to 100 km from lunar orbit. The propulsion module carries the Habitable Planet Earth Spectroscopic Polarimetry (SHAPE) payload for studying the spectral and polarimetry of the Earth from lunar orbit.

Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3 consists of a Landing Module (LM), a Propulsion Module (PM), and a spacecraft for the purpose of developing and demonstrating new technologies required for interplanetary missions. The lander can soft-land on a specific location on the moon, deploy the rover, and perform in-situ chemical analysis on the lunar surface while it’s on the move. Landers and probes carry scientific payloads for conducting experiments on the moon. The main function of the PM is to transport the LM from the launch vehicle jet to the last 100 km polar orbit of the Moon and separate the LM from the PM. The propulsion module also carries a scientific payload as an added value, which is operated separately from the landing module. The launch vehicle identified for Chandrayaan-3 is the LVM3 M4, which will place the integrated module in an elliptical parked orbit (EPO) of approximately 170 x 36500 km.

Chandrayaan 3 Launch Date and Time

India’s third lunar exploration mission, Chandrayaan 3, is gearing up for its launch at 2:35 p.m. on July 14. At the event, the spacecraft will be launched aboard a powerful Mark 3 (LVM3) launch vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. The scientific community and people across India and around the world are eagerly awaiting this important milestone in India’s space exploration efforts.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:

Smile, please📸!

Pragyan Rover clicked an image of Vikram Lander this morning.

The 'image of the mission' was taken by the Navigation Camera onboard the Rover (NavCam).

NavCams for the Chandrayaan-3 Mission are developed by the Laboratory for… pic.twitter.com/Oece2bi6zE

— ISRO (@isro) August 30, 2023

The countdown to this historic mission began on Thursday, raising anticipation for the event. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced the start of the countdown on Twitter, saying, “Tomorrow at 14:35:17, we will countdown to the launch.” This announcement has added to the anticipation and excitement for the Chandrayaan 3 mission. The closer we get to the start, the greater the hope that our adventure to the moon will be a success.

Chandrayaan 3 Launch Place in India

The long-awaited launch of Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar exploration mission, is scheduled for July 14. The spacecraft will depart from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India. This highly significant event not only represented another outstanding achievement in Indian space exploration but also generated great enthusiasm and interest from the scientific community and the general public.

Aditya-L1 started generating the power.
The solar panels are deployed.

The first EarthBound firing to raise the orbit is scheduled for September 3, 2023, around 11:45 Hrs. IST pic.twitter.com/AObqoCUE8I

— ISRO (@isro) September 2, 2023

As the release date approaches. Chandrayaan 3 aims to advance our understanding of the Moon, provide new insights, and contribute to India’s growing reputation for space exploration. It symbolizes the country’s unwavering commitment to scientific progress and exploration, inspiring the next generation of scientists and instilling a sense of national pride. The launch of Chandrayaan 3 marks another notable milestone in India’s amazing journey through space.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission

• To demonstrate a Safe and Soft Landing on the Lunar Surface
• To demonstrate Rover roving on the moon.
• To conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

Here is how the Lander Imager Camera captured the moon's image just prior to touchdown. pic.twitter.com/PseUAxAB6G

— ISRO (@isro) August 24, 2023

Chandrayaan-3 Specifications

Mission Life (Lander & Rover)

• One lunar day (~14 Earth days).

Landing Site (Prime)

• 4 km x 2.4 km 69.367621 S, 32.348126 E.

Science Payloads

• Lander

1. Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive Ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA)
2. Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE)
3. Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA)
4. Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) Rover:
5. Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS)
6. Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) Propulsion Module
7. Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth (SHAPE)

Two Module Configuration

1. Propulsion Module (Carries Lander from launch injection to Lunar orbit)
2. Lander Module (Rover is accommodated inside the Lander)

Mass

1. Propulsion Module: 2148 kg
2. Lander Module: 1752 kg including Rover of 26 kg
3. Total: 3900 kg

Power generation

1. Propulsion Module: 758 W
2. Lander Module: 738W, WS with Bias
3. Rover: 50W

Communication

1. Propulsion Module: Communicates with IDSN
2. Lander Module: Communicates with IDSN and Rover. Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter is also planned for contingency link.
3. Rover: Communicates only with Lander.

Lander Sensors

1. Laser Inertial Referencing and Accelerometer Package (LIRAP)
2. Ka-Band Altimeter (KaRA)
3. Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC)
4. LHDAC (Lander Hazard Detection & Avoidance Camera)
5. Laser Altimeter (LASA)
6. Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV)
7. Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera (LHVC)
8. Micro-Star sensor
9. Inclinometer and touchdown sensors

Lander Actuators

• Reaction wheels – 4 nos (10 Nms & 0.1 Nm)

Lander Propulsion System

• Bi-Propellant Propulsion System (MMH + MON3), 4 nos. of 800 N Throttleable engines & 8 nos. of 58 N; Throttleable Engine Control Electronics.

Lander Mechanisms

1. Lander’s leg
2. Rover Ramp (Primary & Secondary)
3. Rover
4. ILSA, Rambha & Chaste Payloads
5. Umbilical connector Protection Mechanism,
6. X- Band Antenna

Lander Touchdown specifications

1. Vertical velocity: ≤ 2 m / sec
2. Horizontal velocity: ≤ 0.5 m / sec
3. Slope: ≤ 12 deg

Payloads

Lander Payloads

• Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive Ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA)
• Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE)
• Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA)
• LASER Retroreflector Array (LRA)

Rover Payloads

• LASER Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS)
• Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS)

Propulsion Module Payload

• Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth (SHAPE)

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
'India🇮🇳,
I reached my destination
and you too!'
: Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3 has successfully
soft-landed on the moon 🌖!.

Congratulations, India🇮🇳!#Chandrayaan_3#Ch3

— ISRO (@isro) August 23, 2023