Ten reasons why Chandrayaan-3 is important, what it means for India
India is poised to make history when Chandrayaan-3's Lander Module will make a soft landing on the south pole of the moon. If this moon mission succeeds, what will it mean to India, a relatively nascent player in space exploration?
India's space exploration efforts have indeed come a long way from the time the country built its first chunky satellite Aryabhatta and launched it with the help of the Russians in 1975. Since then, the country's premier space agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has had a string of successes and failures, with the country gradually becoming self-reliant and learning from every failed attempt.
Now, in 2023, as India is poised to make a soft landing on the moon with its Chandrayaan-3 mission, it will be another golden chapter for the country. It is all set to open another frontier for a nascent player like India, who has been gradually making a mark in space exploration among the giants in this field - the USA, China and Russia.
So, here are ten reasons why Chandrayaan-3 moon mission means a lot for India:
First nation to land on lunar south pole
India will go down in history for being the first country to land a spacecraft on the lunar south pole, the dark side of the moon, when Chandrayaan-3’s lander makes a soft landing on August 23.
Only three countries - the US, Soviet Union, and China - have ever landed a spacecraft on the moon. But their spacecraft has never ventured to the lunar south pole, which is far from the equatorial region which is usually targeted by previous missions, including the crewed Apollo landings. It is known to be full of craters and deep trenches.
Even Russia's Luna-25 craft, which had been scheduled to land on the south pole last week spun out of control on approach and crashed. Both US and China have planned missions to the south pole but for now, it is upto India to achieve this historic feat.
Massive opportunity to explore moon’s surface
Chandrayaan-3 mission is also highly significant because it offers an opportunity to explore the moon’s surface more deeply, and to unlock certain mysteries of the cosmos. The large craters near the lunar south pole may contain clues to the composition of the early solar system, say experts.
It is believed that the shadowed craters on the moon’s south pole contain water ice, which can be tapped for generating fuel, oxygen, and drinking water. This can help astronauts and scientists to establish a base on the moon and work there for longer periods. It can also be used to supply propellant for spacecraft headed to Mars and other more distant destinations.
Aid in gaining insights into earth’s past
Besides demonstrating a safe and soft landing on the moon’s south pole, ISRO will also deploy the Rover from Chandrayaan-3's Lander Module to explore the moon’s surface, and conduct scientific experiments on the materials available on the lunar surface to better understand its composition. The discoveries will give scientists insights into past lunar volcanoes and the beginnings of the oceans on earth.
This will be the first time any tests would be conducted on the South Pole, so data and conclusions will be pursued with interest across the world.
Paving the way for new technology development for future missions
What is more is that ISRO has stated that Chandrayaan-3 will mark a step towards developing and demonstrating technology that would one day be used for future interplanetary missions.
It will demonstrate the technical prowess and spacefaring ambitions of the country.
Important for US’s Artemis-III mission
Studies performed at the south pole will also be important for spacefaring initiatives as it is the site where Artemis-III mission of the United States will land. Artemis-III is the third element of the Artemis space programme of the United States, in which humans would go to the Moon in the next few years for the first time in over five decades.
The south pole region’s geology is supposed to be very different from the region around the Apollo missions of the US. India's Chandrayaan-3 will therefore provide a close-up view of an entirely new region of the Moon for the first time to the world.
Payload to study earth from lunar orbit
The Propulsion Module of Chandrayaan-3 has a payload - SHAPE (Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth) - to study the earth from the lunar orbit. ISRO said the SHAPE is an experimental payload to study the spectro-polarimetric signatures of the earth in the near-infrared wavelength range. This is to mimic the observation of a far-away exoplanet. The spectrum carries crucial information about the gases and surface features, whereas the polarisation is required to characterise the clouds, said ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Centre.
Underscoring India's ability to accomplish more with less
India’s moon mission demonstrates yet again to the world its ability to accomplish tasks in a cost-effective manner.
At an estimated ₹615 crore, Chandrayaan-3 is one of India’s most inexpensive space missions. It is cheaper than Chandrayaan-2, with big-budget Bollywood and Hollywood films spending much more for their extragavant productions.
India has given priority to indigenous components and technologies over costly imports. Another aspect that helps in reducing costs is India’s ability to adapt existing space technologies. Our employee costs are also much lower than that of Western countries.
India also prefers to do things on a smaller scale. The payload of Mangalyaan was about 15 kg, much lower than NASA’s Maven. India’s Chandrayaan-3 is less powerful than America’s Saturn V, and slower than Russia’s Luna-25.
Experiments to understand lunar surface
The lander module has payloads to measure the near-surface plasma ions and electrons density and its changes, carry out the measurements of thermal properties of the lunar surface near-polar region, measure seismicity around the landing site and delineating the structure of the lunar crust and mantle, and derive the chemical composition and infer mineralogical composition to further enhance understanding of the lunar surface.
Spur private investments in space sector
Chandrayaan-3’s success will hopefully inspire private Indian companies to take the plunge into space exploration, thus increasing investments from the private sector.
Big boost to India's global image
India is now the world’s fifth-largest economy and is on its way to becoming a $5 trillion economy in the next few years. Its ambition to be a major player in the global scene will receive a big boost with this demonstration of technological prowess, which is enabling it to be the first nation to land on the moon’s south pole.