What is chandrayaan 3 moon?

Chandrayaan-3 is the third Moon mission by India’s space agency ISRO. The goal is to place a lander and rover on the lunar surface and operate them for roughly one lunar day, or 14 Earth days. The small rover, which weighs just 26 kilograms (57 pounds), flew to the Moon inside the lander. Both vehicles are equipped with science instruments to study the surface.

Chandrayaan-3 completed a soft landing in the Moon’s south polar region on August 23, 2023.The Chandrayaan-3 lander, with its rover inside, sits atop the propulsion module that will carry it to lunar orbit. The rocket’s protective aeroshell fairings, which protect the spacecraft during launch and ascent, can be seen in the background.

The Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover are similar in design to those from the Chandrayaan-2 mission. In September 2019, the Chandrayaan-2 Vikram lander successfully lowered itself to within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of the Moon, entering a “fine braking” mode that would have placed it gently on the lunar surface. Like its successor, Chandrayaan-2 was targeting the Moon’s south polar region, where ice has been found inside permanently shadowed craters.

Unfortunately, a software glitch caused Vikram to veer off course, and ISRO officials lost contact with the spacecraft. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter later found debris from the vehicle scattered about 750 meters (a half mile) from the intended landing area.

The mission was not a total loss: Chandrayaan-2 also included an orbiter that continues to study the Moon from above. Among other scientific functions, the orbiter is equipped to scan for water ice.

Having figured out what doomed the Vikram lander, ISRO says they have upgraded the lander’s software and performed numerous tests to ensure that Chandrayaan-3 goes according to plan. Chandrayaan-3 does not include an orbiter, although the propulsion module that will carry the lander to lunar orbit is equipped with a science instrument that will observe Earth as if it were an exoplanet, providing data for future exoplanet studies.