India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was successfully launched on a historic mission to the far side of the moon. The LVM-3, the country’s heavy rocket, nicknamed ‘Vikram’ carried the 3.8-tonne Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft and put it into orbit on Friday afternoon.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday successfully launched the Chandrayaan-3. A follow-up to the second lunar mission which aims for a soft landing on the surface of the moon by late August this year. The launch took place at 2.35 pm from the Satish Dhawan spaceport in Sriharikota. Many watched the historic moment on their phone and television screens. Followed by the sharing of congratulatory wishes on India’s achievement.
Chandrayaan 3 consists of a lander and a rover, each of which carries a handful of scientific instruments. If all goes according to plan, the duo will touch down softly near the moon’s south pole in late August. Then study their environs for about one lunar day (roughly 14 Earth days).
With a successful touchdown, India would join a very exclusive club. To date, only the United States, the Soviet Union and China have successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon.
India’s progression in Space
In July, India became the 27th country to sign the Artemis Accords with the US. The ambitious Artemis programme aims to, among other things, land the first astronauts on Mars and eventually on other planets. NASA and ISRO have also agreed to launch a joint mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024.
On a visit to the US last month, Modi and US President Joe Biden pledged to deepen collaboration in space. Voyager Space, a Denver-based company with a NASA contract to develop the planned Starlab space station, said this week it had signed a memorandum of understanding with ISRO to use Indian rockets and would look for opportunities to collaborate with Indian space start-ups.
“India sees space as a strategic asset, and it aims to become one of the leading players in outer space,” said Carla Filotico, managing director at consultancy SpaceTec Partners. “This could be India’s opportunity to be one of the pioneers in this industry.”