Chandrayaan-3 mission Why ISRO wants to explore the Moon’s south pole
Present circumstances:
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) just launched the Chandrayaan-3 project, which would be India’s third lunar exploration.
- It is a continuation of the 2019 Chandrayaan-2 mission, which was mainly unsuccessful because both its lander and rover failed to make a soft landing on the Moon.
- On August 23, the Chandrayaan-3’s lander Vikram and rover Pragyaan are anticipated to touch down on the Moon. After launch, Chandrayaan-3 will spend around a month in the lunar orbit.
- Notably, Chandrayaan-2’s landing location for the most recent mission was near the south pole of the moon at a latitude of 70 degrees.
- If all goes as planned, Chandrayaan-3 will be the first mission to soft-land close to the lunar south pole.
- All previous spacecraft that have landed on the moon have done so near the lunar equator or a few degrees either north or south of it.
- At a latitude of around 40 degrees south, the NASA Surveyor 7 spacecraft conducted a lunar landing approach on January 10, 1968.
Information about the Chandrayaan-3 mission:
- Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-up mission to Chandrayaan-2 and aims to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roaming on the lunar surface. It is set up with Land Rovers and Landers. It will be launched by LVM3 from Sriharikota’s SDSC SHAR.
Lander’s payloads:
- Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive Ionosphere and Atmosphere is abbreviated as RAMBHA.
- the Chandra Surface Thermophysical Experiment, or ChaSTE.
- Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity is what ILSA stands for.
- Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer, or APXS.
Laser Induced Breakdown (LIBS) Propulsion Module for Spectroscopes:
- Spectro-Polarimetry for the Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE).
The mission’s objectives for Chandrayaan-3 are:
- to demonstrate how to softly and safely land on the moon’s surface.
- to display rover moon exploration.
- to conduct in-situ research in science.
Why hasn’t a spacecraft ever landed close to the moon’s south pole?
- Due to geographical considerations, landing near to the equator is simpler and safer. As a result, all of the Moon’s landings up to this point have been close to the equator.
- Even China’s Chang’e 4, which made history by becoming the first spacecraft to arrive on the side of the moon that faces away from Earth, achieved a soft landing not far from the 45-degree latitude.
- Due to the topography and temperature, the environment is more conducive to an extended and sustained operation of sensors.
- There are fewer hills and craters, there are almost no really steep slopes, and the surface is flat and level.
- The side that faces the ground receives a lot of sunshine, which gives solar-powered equipment a constant supply of power.
- On the other hand, the polar regions of the Moon have a completely unique and difficult terrain.
- There are several places that are completely in the dark, where the sun never shines and where it can get as cold as 230 degrees Celsius.
- Low temperatures and a lack of light make it difficult for instruments to operate.
- The size of these craters can vary from a few centimetres to thousands of kilometres, and there are many large ones all around the planet.
Why do scientists want to study the moon’s south pole?
- The inhospitable temperature of the Moon’s polar regions has prevented exploration. However, several Orbiter missions have indicated that these regions would be worthwhile to investigate.
- There are indications of large ice molecule concentrations in the deep craters in this region. India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission from 2008 demonstrated the presence of water on the lunar surface using its two onboard instruments.
- Additionally, anything imprisoned here would practically remain constant over time due to the extremely low temperatures in this region. As a result, the moon’s north and south poles’ soil and rocks might contain clues about the early Solar System.
- Why does sunlight not reach some of the polar regions of the moon?
- The Earth’s spin axis is inclined by 23.5 degrees with respect to the plane of the Earth’s solar orbit, but the Moon’s axis tilts by merely 1.5 degrees.
- The shape of a handful of craters near the lunar north and south poles precludes sunlight from ever reaching their floors. These locations are known as PSRs, or perpetually shadowed regions.
- According to a NASA analysis from 2019, “Water that unintentionally enters PSRs may remain there for long periods of time.” According to data from the Diviner instrument onboard LRO (the robotic spacecraft now orbiting the Moon), which analyses temperatures across the Moon, including PSRs, some locations on the Moon are cold enough for water to be stable at the surface.
Conclusion:
- In order to demonstrate ISRO’s space capabilities and developments for a secure landing on the south pole of the moon, Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-up mission to Chandrayaan-2. It will therefore support India’s ongoing space exploration efforts.
