CHANDRAYAAN 3 Syllabus GS Paper 3 - Sci and Tech)

Context: Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the propulsion module (PM) of Chandrayaan-3 was relocated from an orbit around the Moon to an orbit around the Earth.

Chandrayaan 3

• About: It is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.
• Launched by: Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (LVM3 –M4).
• Significance: India became the first nation to soft-land on the surface of the Lunar south pole and overall the fourth to do a soft landing on moon.
• Objective: Demonstrate safe and soft landing on the surface of the Moon,

oConduct rover operations on the Moon, and

oConduct on-site experiments on the Lunar surface.

• Components: ‘Vikram’ Lander (equipped with Laser Doppler Velocimeter), ‘Pragyaan’ Rover (no orbiter unlike Chandrayaan 2).
• The mission has six tools for studying science and an additional instrument on the propulsion module.
• Propulsion Module: It carries the SHAPE experiment, which uses spectropolarimeter to study Earth's reflected light.
• The mass of the propulsion module used in Chandrayaan-3 is 2148 kg.

Reason for Landing on South Pole:

• Interest in the lunar south pole as a landing site is mainly driven by the fact that scientists know the region hosts water in the form of ice.
• It can act as a coolant for equipment and even provide rocket fuel. The latter could be especially useful for a staging mission to Mars launched from the moon someday.
• Name of landing Site: Shiv Shakti Point.