In a significant advancement for India’s space program, Chandrayaan-3 successfully made a soft landing on the Lunar South Pole today, becoming the first spacecraft to achieve this feat. Launched on July 14th, this remarkable achievement positions India as the pioneering country to have landed on the unexplored side of the Moon and the fourth nation to have successfully landed a spacecraft on the Moon.
This milestone sparked celebrations at the headquarters of the Indian Space Research Organisation in Bengaluru, where the space agency’s staff, accompanied by the media and other witnesses, commemorated this momentous occasion.
Following the landing, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi also addressed the scientists of ISRO on the successful landing. The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to the ISRO scientists for accomplishing the remarkable feat. He emphasized the significance of this moment, describing it as both precious and unprecedented. This moment is the strength of 1.4 billion heartbeats. This is success’s ‘amrit varsha’ in this phase of ‘amrit kaal’. Our scientist also said India is on the moon. We became witness to India’s flight in space. I am in South Africa for BRICS but my heart is in India. In spirit, I am with my countrymen. I want to congratulate Team Chandrayaan and ISRO and the countrymen,’ PM said. “India is continuously proving that sky is not the limit,’ he added.
All About Chandrayaan-3:
- The Chandrayaan-3 mission was successfully launched on July 14 using the Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket. It embarked on a 41-day journey towards the lunar south pole.
- The mission includes a lander and a six-wheeled rover, weighing a total of 1,752 kg.
- These advanced technologies are designed to operate effectively during one lunar daylight period, which is approximately 14 Earth days.
- The lander, equipped with four legs, was equipped with multiple sensors to ensure a safe touchdown.
- These sensors included an accelerometer, altimeters, Doppler velocimeter, inclinometer, touchdown sensor, and a suite of cameras for hazard avoidance and positional knowledge.
Significance of the Lunar South Pole:
The Lunar South Pole is often referred to as the “dark side” of the Moon because it is perpetually hidden from Earth’s view. The dark side of the Moon is referred to as such due to the absence of sunlight, resulting in an extremely low temperature of -230 degrees Celsius. Another important aspect of the dark side of the moon is the potential presence of water and other substances in the craters on its surface, owing to the low temperatures.
