KUALA LUMPUR: In a historic moment for India’s space endeavours, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is poised to achieve a ground-breaking feat as Chandrayaan-3 (CY3), the nation’s third lunar mission, is set to land on the moon’s surface on Wednesday (Aug 23) at approximately 6.04 pm IST (India Standard Time).
This mission holds immense significance in the annals of lunar exploration, as it marks not only a technological milestone but also a testament to India’s commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and space exploration.
The significance of CY3 becomes apparent when considering that only three nations—the Soviet Union, the United States, and China – have successfully achieved a soft landing on the moon’s surface.
In a special email interview with Bernama, Dr TV Venkateswaran, an Indian scientist at Vigyan Prasar, an autonomous organisation under India’s Department of Science and Technology emphasised the mission serves as a technology demonstration by ISRO, aiming to design, develop, and construct a system for achieving a safe soft landing on the moon with autonomous vehicle control throughout the descent phase.
“Moreover, the mineralogical data acquired by the rover will corroborate the remote sensing data provided by the Moon Mineralogical Mapper regarding the presence of different minerals on the lunar surface,” he told Bernama commenting on the overview and objectives of the CY3 mission.
A rover is a small, mobile robot that scientists send to moons and planets to land on their surfaces and explore and the rovers can take pictures and collect information about the planet by taking temperature readings, rock, and soil samples.
The CY3 mission was launched on July 14 from India’s main spaceport in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh and since then, it has looped through progressively wider-ranging orbits of earth, transferred to a lunar orbit, and emerged as a focus of national pride and of global interest.
Asked what potential discoveries can be expected from the CY3 mission, the Indian scientist said the mission is planned to land on the southern polar region of the Moon, adding that CY3 will measure the moonquakes in that region, which can then shed light on the geology and geography of that region.
“In addition, the rover will explore the mineral composition of the lunar soil. This ground truth can be compared with the data collected by the CY2 orbiter, and we can learn more about the lunar surface’s mineral composition,” he added.
Commenting on the technological advancements that have been made to ensure a successful landing for CY3, Venkateswaran said the Artificial Intelligence -powered feature recognition has dramatically helped lunar navigation.
He said the lander’s position detection camera on CY3 captures a series of sequential images, which are then analysed against a reference master image stored in memory, adding that this process enables the identification of the exact latitude and longitude coordinates on the moon.
Asked about the lessons derived from India’s previous lunar missions, CY1 and CY2, and how these lessons have influenced the design and implementation of CY3, Venkateswaran explained that CY1 successfully placed the spacecraft into lunar orbit.
“Building upon this experience, the CY2 orbiter was also effectively inserted into lunar orbit in 2019 and remains operational, “ he added.
In his public message regarding the significance of CY3 and the broader importance of space exploration, Venkateswaran emphasised that science has the potential to drive progress and foster peace for everyone.
He stressed that as a human race, “we should harness the power derived from science and technology for the collective welfare of people worldwide”.
“After all, the moon belongs to all of us. Hopefully, wisdom will prevail, and the moon will not become the next frontier of contestation and international conflict,” he further noted. – BERNAMA-dpa
