Chandrayaan 3 Landing LIVE Updates: ISRO confirms Chandrayaan-3 landing attempt today

There is feverish anticipation and excitement in India over the planned landing with prayers held in temples, mosques and churches, schools marshalling students to watch a live telecast of the event, and space enthusiasts organising parties to celebrate.

A successful mission would make India only the fourth country to successfully land on the moon, after the former USSR, the United States and China, and mark its emergence as a space power, just ahead of national elections next year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is also looking to spur investment in private space launches and related satellite-based businesses.

India wants its private space companies to increase their share of the global launch market by fivefold within the next decade.

Modi said when the moon mission launched that ISRO was writing “a new chapter in India’s space odyssey” and elevating “the dreams and ambitions of every Indian.”

• August 15, 2003: Then Prime Minister, the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee announces the Chandrayaan programme.
• October 22, 2008: Chandrayaan-1 takes off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
• November 8, 2008: Chandrayaan-1 enters a Lunar Transfer Trajectory.
• November 14, 2008: The Moon impact probe ejects from Chandrayaan-1 and crashes near the lunar South Pole — confirming the presence of water molecules on Moon’s surface.
• August 28, 2009: End of Chandrayaan 1 programme as per ISRO.
• July 22, 2019: Chandrayaan-2 launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
• August 20, 2019: Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft inserted into lunar orbit.
• September 2, 2019: Vikram Lander was separated while orbiting the moon in a 100kms lunar polar orbit, however, communication from the lander to the ground stations was lost at an altitude of 2.1 km from the surface of the moon.
• July 14, 2023: Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft lifts off from the second launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
• August 23, 2023: Scientists at ISRO have tentatively scheduled soft landing on the lunar surface expected to take place by August 23 making India join elite nations to achieve the feat.
• India’s third moon mission Chandrayaan 3 will attempt the technically challenging soft landing on lunar surface on August 23, more than a month after Chandrayaan 3 took off from the spaceport in Sriharikota piggybacking on the heavylift LVM3-M4 rocket.

Two agreements on official cooperation were signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to South Africa on Tuesday, the first tie-up of its kind between the nations, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. One covers human spaceflight and the other involves the International Lunar Research Station, a plan to build a base on the moon that’s backed by China and Russia.

Space is the next frontier in the deepening geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing that’s seen officials seeking out allies in their race to the moon’s south pole.

The US has made substantial inroads in its diplomatic efforts and more than two dozen countries have signed the Artemis Accords, which offer a framework for international cooperation in space activity. Meanwhile, China’s has forged a close partnership with Russia — initially a powerful match of the former’s technological know-how and the latter’s space experience, but more recently a relationship that’s showing signs of cooling.

The moon’s south pole region has been chosen because the Lunar South Pole remains much larger than that at the North pole. There could be a possibility of presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around it.

A mission to study the Sun, and launching a climate observation satellite, a test vehicle as part of Gaganyaan human space flight programme and an Indo-US synthetic aperture radar — ISRO has a packed schedule ahead.

In addition, XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite), the country’s first dedicated polarimetry mission to study various dynamics of bright astronomical X-ray sources in extreme conditions, is also ready for launch, an ISRO official said on Tuesday.

Aditya-L1, the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun, is getting ready for the launch, most likely in September first week.

S Unnikrishnan Nair is the head of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) at Thumba in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district. He and his team are responsible for the key functions of the crucial mission.

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark –III, which was renamed as Launch Vehicle Mark-III, rocket, was also developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), said TOI in a report.

S Mohana Kumar, a senior scientists from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, is the mission director for Chandrayaan-3.

Kumar has worked as the director for the successful commercial launch of the One Web India 2 satellites on board the LVM3-M3 mission.

“The LVM3-M4 has once again proved to be the most reliable heavy lift vehicle for Isro. Congratulations to the teamwork of the Isro family,” TOI quoted Kumar as saying.

The project director for India’s latest lunar touch-down mission is P Veeramuthuvel. In 2019, he took charge for the mission.

Veeramuthuvel was serving as a deputy director in the Space Infrastructure Programme Office at the ISRO headquarters before the Moon mission started. He is known for his technical skills.

According to a TOI report, Veeramuthuvel played a key role in Chandrayaan-2 mission as well, being the point person for its negotiations with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). A native of Villupuram in Tamil Nadu, Veeramuthuvel is an alumni of Indian Institute of Technology in Madras (IIT-M).

The brain behind India’s ambitious Moon mission is ISRO chief S Somanath. Somanath has also been given the credits for accelerating ISRO’s other missions including Gaganyaan and Sun-mision Aditya-L1 , as per a TOI report.

Somanath has also served as the director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre — the primary centres for development of rocket technologies for ISRO, before heading India’s space organisation.

While announcing the news of the lift off, Somanath had said, “Congratulations India. Chandrayaan-3, in its precise orbit, has begun its journey to the Moon. Health of the spacecraft is normal … Let us wish all the best for the Chandrayaan-3 craft to make its further orbit raising manoeuvres and travel towards the moon in the coming days.”

• July 14: LVM3 M4 vehicle successfully launches Chandrayaan-3 into orbit from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Chandrayaan-3 starts its journey into precise orbit.
• July 15: First orbit-raising manoeuvre (Earthbound firing-1) successfully performed from ISTRAC/ISRO, Bengaluru. The spacecraft is in 41762 km x 173 km orbit.
• July 17: Second orbit-raising manoeuvre performed. Spacecraft is in 41603 km x 226 km orbit.
• July 22: Another orbit-raising manoeuvre completed using earth-bound perigee firing.
• July 25: ISRO performs one more orbit-raising manoeuvre. Spacecraft is in 71351 km x 233 km orbit.
• August 1: ISRO performs Translunar Injection successfully and inserts the spacecraft into translunar orbit. Orbit achieved is 288 km x 369328 km.
• August 5: Lunar-Orbit Insertion of Chandrayaan-3 performed successfully. Orbit achieved is 164 km x 18074 km, as intended.
• August 6: ISRO performs second Lunar Bound Phase (LBN). With this, the spacecraft is in a 170 km x 4313 km orbit around the Moon. The spac e agency releases video of the Moon as viewed by Chandrayaan-3 during lunar orbit insertion.
• August 9: Chandrayaan-3’s orbit is reduced to 174 km x 1437 km after a manoeuvre is performed.
• August 14: Mission is in orbit circularisation phase after another manoeuvre. The spacecraft is in 151 km x 179 km orbit.
• August 16: Spacecraft brought down to an orbit of 153 km x 163 km after firing is completed.
• August 17: Lander module is successfully separated from the propulsion module.
• August 19: ISRO performs de-boosting of the lander module to reduce its orbit. The lander module is in 113 km x 157 km orbit around the Moon.
• August 20: One more de-boosting or orbit reduction manoeuvre on the lander module is performed. The lander module is in 25 km x 134 km orbit.
• August 21: Chandrayaan-2 orbiter formally welcomes Chandrayaan-3 lander module saying ‘Welcome, buddy!’. Two-way communication between the two is established. Mission Operations Complex (MOX) now has more ways to communicate with the la nder module.
• August 22: ISRO releases images of the Moon captured by the Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC) of the Chandrayaan-3 mission from an altitude of about 70 km. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing.

• T-20 Countdown: As the day of landing arrives, a gripping phase known as the “twenty minutes of terror” or T-20 kicks in, adding intense suspense to the final moments of the mission.
• Commanded Descent: Responding to commands from Bengaluru, the Vikram lander initiates its descent towards the moon’s surface, starting from an altitude of 25 kilometers.
• Powered Descent Velocity: Engaging in a powered descent, the Vikram lander hurtles towards the moon’s surface at a remarkable velocity of 1.68 kilometers per second, equivalent to a staggering 6048 kilometers per hour – nearly ten times the speed of an airplane.
• Rough Braking Phase: Despite the high speed, the Vikram lander begins to decelerate, firing all its engines. However, it maintains an almost horizontal orientation relative to the moon’s surface, a phase referred to as the “rough braking phase,” which spans approximately 11 minutes.
• Transition to Fine Braking: Employing skillful maneuvers, the Vikram lander is gradually adjusted to become vertical with respect to the moon’s surface, marking the start of the delicate “fine braking phase.” During the Chandrayaan-2 mission, it was the fine braking phase that saw the Vikram lander losing control and tumbling into a crash.
• Hovering Above the Surface: Positioned at a height of 800 meters above the moon’s surface, both horizontal and vertical velocities reach zero, causing the Vikram lander to hover gracefully as it surveys the landing area below.
• Further Descent and Imaging: Continuing its descent, the Vikram lander descends even closer, hovering at just 150 meters above the lunar terrain. In this phase, it captures vital images to detect hazards and scout for the optimal landing site.
• Final Touchdown: The climax of the descent unfolds as the Vikram lander touches down on the lunar surface, utilizing only two engines for a controlled landing. Its robust legs are engineered to withstand a maximum impact of 3 meters per second, equivalent to around 10.8 kilometers per hour.

Once the lander’s leg sensors detect contact with the lunar surface, the engines cease operation, effectively concluding the intense twenty minutes of suspense and uncertainty that characterized the landing process.

The Indian diaspora here is eagerly waiting for Chandrayaan-3’s much-anticipated landing on the Moon on Wednesday with many of them saying the lunar mission will propel India as a global leader in space technology and inspire millions of children to take up science, physics and astronomy as their area of pursuit.

ISRO’s ambitious third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module (LM) comprising the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan) is all set to land on the lunar surface on Wednesday evening at 6.04 pm, as India eyes becoming the first country to reach the uncharted south pole of Earth’s only natural satellite.

“I am very excited about what Chandrayaan-3 can achieve for us,” New York-based commodity trader and Physics enthusiast Sandeep Daga told PTI.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission “is really a shot in the arm for the Indian space programme and the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). It will propel India as a global leader in space technology and it will inspire millions of kids to take up science, physics and astronomy as their area of pursuit. That’s the way to go,” Daga said.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Wednesday wished for a successful landing of Chandrayaan-3’s lunar module on moon’s surface, saying it is “very important” for the country.

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) ambitious third moon mission Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module (LM) is all set to land on the lunar surface this evening, as India eyes to become the first country to reach the uncharted south pole of earth’s only natural satellite.

The LM comprising the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan) is scheduled to make a touch down near the south polar region of the moon at 6:04 pm on Wednesday.

“India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission is very important for the country. It will increase India’s pride in the world. I am fully confident of its success,” RSS media relations and publicity head Sunil Ambekar said.

Commander Abhilash Tomy, a former Naval officer and solo circumnavigator from Kerala who finished second in the prestigious Golden Globe Race 2022, will be helping ISRO in connection with India’s first manned space mission — Gaganyaan.

Tomy announced this development on the social media platform X where he said that he would be consulting with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on space circumnavigation in connection with Gaganyaan.

Besides that, he said, he will also be working with the Indian Navy on their next circumnavigation attempt.

“I will be working with the Navy for their next circumnavigation attempt. In addition, I am also helping @isro with India’s first manned space mission.

Jharkhand’s top technical institutions and several schools are all geared up to organise live streaming of the soft landing of ISRO’s Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 on Wednesday, seeking to ignite a passion for space exploration among budding scientists.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-ISM), Dhanbad, Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Mesra, National Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (NIAMT) and others have made arrangements for the live streaming, officials said.

ISRO’s ambitious third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module (LM) is scheduled to make a touch down near the south polar region of the Moon on Wednesday evening.

IIT-ISM deputy director Dheeraj Kumar told PTI, “We will conduct live streaming of the soft landing at Penman Auditorium. Students and faculty have been invited to be part of the historical event. It will definitely motivate the students for future space explorations.”

Kumar said the institute has an astronomy club and mine surveying section, which observe astronomical events from time to time.

The LM comprising the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan), is scheduled to make a touch down near the south polar region of the Moon at 6:04 pm on Wednesday.

“The mission is on schedule. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing. The Mission Operations Complex (MOX) is buzzed with energy & excitement!” ISRO said on Tuesday, also sharing visuals of the moon captured by cameras on the lander.

If the Chandrayaan-3 mission succeeds in making a touchdown on moon and in landing a robotic lunar rover in ISRO’s second attempt in four years, India will become the fourth country to master the technology of soft-landing on the lunar surface after the US, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union.

India’s previous attempt to land on the lunar south pole failed in 2019.

Chandrayaan-2 successfully deployed an orbiter but its lander and rover were destroyed in a crash near where the Chandrayaan-3 will attempt a touchdown.

Rough terrain is one of the complications for a south pole landing. ISRO scientists say they have made adjustments that make it more likely the current mission will stick its landing. That includes a system to broaden the potential landing zone. The lander has also been equipped with more fuel and sturdier legs for impact.

Russia’s first moon mission in 47 years failed over the weekend when its Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon.

A private Japanese space startup, ispace, failed an attempted lunar landing in April.

The real work for Isro scientists will start after the touchdown as they will be busy with the rover operations for one lunar day (14 Earth days) and begin analysing tonnes of data coming from five scientific instruments on board the lander (3 payloads) and rover (2 payloads).

Shortly after the touchdown, one side panel of the Vikram lander will unfold, creating a ramp for the Pragyan rover.

The six-wheeled Pragyan with a national tricolour and an Isro logo embossed on its wheels will descend from the lander’s belly on the lunar surface after 4 hours, moving at a speed of 1cm per second and using navigation cameras to scan its lunar surroundings. As it will roll, the rover will leave imprints of the tricolour and Isro logo on the lunar regolith (soil), making a mark of India on the Moon.

The rover has instruments configured with payloads to provide data related to the Moon’s surface. It will gather data on the elemental composition of the Moon’s atmosphere and send data to the lander. With three payloads, the Vikram lander will measure the near surface plasma (ions and electrons) density, carry out measurements of thermal properties of the lunar surface, measure seismicity around the landing site and delineate the structure of the lunar crust and mantle.

Three Lunar missions in 15 years! It seems the Moon truly beckons ISRO. And why not? Scientists found frozen water deposits in the darkest and coldest parts of the Moon’s polar regions for the first time using data from the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft in 2009.

Chandrayaan-1, India’s first mission to the Moon, was launched on October 22, 2008 from Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.

And a decade later, Chandrayaan-2, comprising an orbiter, lander and rover, was successfully launched on July 22, 2019.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)’s third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 is on schedule, said India’s premier space agency on Tuesday. The systems are undergoing regular checks, Isro said, adding that the ‘smooth sailing is continuing’. Read full story here

India’s space program is a source of national pride, as is the country’s growing cadre of commercial space startups. India’s recent efforts in space exploration also closely mirror the country’s diplomatic push as an ambitious power on the rise.

Chandrayaan-3 is also taking place amid renewed interest in exploring the moon. The United States and China are both aiming to send astronauts there in the coming years, and there are more robotic missions from Japan and the United States that could head there this year. Like India, many other lunar missions are aiming for the moon’s south polar region. Scientists believe it may contain water ice that could be used by astronauts in the future.