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Moon Landing: History In The Making

By Linus Garg
First publised on 2023-08-23 03:09:25

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

As Vikram, Chandrayaan-3's lander, approaches the moon for landing today shortly after 6pm, India stands on the brink of history. A successful landing will make India only the 4th nation, after the US, Russia and China, to achieve this. Once Vikram lands, it will release the rover Pragyan for further exploration, studies and experiments, which are the prime objectives of the mission. Isro has learned lessons from the crash landing of the Chandrayaan-2 lander and has fortified Vikram to withstand higher landing velocities. It has also made suitable modifications to ensure a smother and successful landing this time.

Isro chief S Somnath said that the overall process of landing will be done in 30 minutes but the exact time of landing will depend "on the systems and landing conditions". He said that depending on hazard detection, it will be decided whether to land at the first visible spot or look for a safer spot. The lander and the rover have been designed to function for one lunar day which is equal to 14 earth days.

Isro is being continuously supported by Nasa and European Space Agency (ESA) in this mission and their role will be vital in the landing process too. Their extensive tracking network has helped Isro immensely to track its spacecrafts when they are not viewed by its own antennas based in Byalalu, Karnataka. Today Nasa and ESA will help in communicating with the landing module during the final descent phase.

The nation waits expectantly as Isro seeks to add another feather in its deservingly well-decorated cap. 

Picture courtesy: Sky & Telescope

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