Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to achieve a successful soft landing on the Moon with the launch of Chandrayaan-3. As per the schedule, the spacecraft launched using the GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle is set for the Moon landing on August 23
Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has completed all of its Moon-bound manoeuvres. In the latest update, ISRO has successfully separated the Vikram lander from the propulsion module of the Chandrayaan-3 mission at 1 pm on August 17
Everyone including former ISRO Chief K. Sivan is waiting with bated breath for the moment when Chandrayaan-3 will successfully land on the Moon
"Now definitely more anxiety will be there on the landing manoeuvre on August 23. Last time it couldn’t be successful. This time everyone is expecting anxiously. I’m sure it will be successful because we have understood the failures we had during Chandrayaan-2. We have corrected it and, in addition to that, wherever margins were less, extra margins are added. Wherever redundancy was not there, that also now has been provided. This time we are expecting the mission will be successful. We are confident in that," K. Sivan told PTIAs we are a few days away from India’s third moon mission, let us take a look at Chandrayaan-2 mission
Chandrayaan-2 was launched on July 22, 2019. The lander and the rover were scheduled to land on the near side of the Moon on September 6, 2019. However, the Vikram lander crashed when it deviated from its set trajectory while attempting to land. As per the failure analysis report submitted by ISRO, the crash was caused due to a software glitch. ISRO had defined those moments as "15 minutes of terror"
PM Narendra Modi had travelled all the way to the ISRO control room in Bengaluru to witness history in the making. However, all hopes were shattered when Chandrayaan-2 crash landed. He was about to leave after the crash when then-ISRO chief K. Sivan burst into tears. PM Modi rushed back to him and hugged him
This was a heartbreaking moment as both PM Modi and ex-ISRO chief K. Sivan became emotional after seeing the debacle of Chandrayaan-2. “You spend your entire life to make Mother India proud. I can understand your state of mind. You have given your best only and will give us several more reasons to smile,” PM Modi told ISRO scientists later
India is now all set to relieve its dream to touch the Moon with ISRO-led Chandrayaan-3. Though, what India is envisioning to achieve is not easy as only three countries - Russia, the US and China have successfully achieved soft landing on the Moon earlier
India is not the only nation which is attempting to land on the Moon. Russia had launched its own Moon mission Luna-25, days after Chandrayaan-3 on August 11 but it is taking a shorter route and is expected to touchdown on Moon’s South Pole on August 21