Chandrayaan 3 (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Science & Technology)
Context: Chandrayaan-3 consists of a lander module, a propulsion module and a rover. The main function of the propulsion module is to carry the lander module from launch vehicle injection till 100-km orbit around the moon
About Chandrayan 3
- It is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.
- Objective:
Demonstrate safe and soft landing on the surface of the Moon,
Conduct rover operations on the Moon, and
Conduct on-site experiments on the Lunar surface.
- Components: Lander (powered by 4 throttle-ale engines & equipped with Laser Doppler Velocimeter), 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 spectro-polarimetry to study Earth's reflected light.
- Opportunities offered by Chandrayaan-3
Economic benefits: Chandrayaan-3 will be India's ticket to the “moon economy”, an emerging sector with a potential of billions of dollars.
Accelerate scientific discoveries: By analyzing the data collected during the mission, scientists can discover about Moon's geology, mineralogy, and environment, which can contribute to our understanding of lunar evolution.
Accelerate private sector participation & its stature in the global arena facilitating international collaborations in space industry.
