The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is in its final stages of preparation to launch India’s ambitious moon mission “Chandrayaan-3”. The spacecraft is in the final assembly of payloads at the UR Rao Satellite Center.
The spacecraft is scheduled to be launched in the month of July 2023. According to a senior official in ISRO-“ We could conduct the launch in the first or the second week of July 2023. The final date is yet to be decided.”
The Chandrayaan-3 mission carries scientific instruments to study the thermos-physical properties of the lunar regolith, lunar seismicity, lunar surface plasma environment and the elemental composition near the landing site.
The third spacecraft of the Chandrayaan Programme will be launched on the heaviest launch vehicle, GSLV Mk-III (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle), from the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) in Sriharikota. The spacecraft combines three systems: propulsion, lander, and the rover.
According to ISRO Chief S. Somnath, “The primary objective of the Chandrayaan-3 is going to be a precise landing. For that, a lot of work is being done today, including building many instruments, building algorithms, taking care of failure modes.”
ISRO has completed the flight acceptance hot test of the CE-20 cryogenic engine that will power the cryogenic upper stage of the launch vehicle for Chandrayaan-3. The hot test was conducted for 25 seconds at the High-Altitude Test Facility of the ISRO Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu.
The Chandrayaan-3 lander also underwent the EMI/EMC test at the UR Rao Satellite Center. The Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) and the Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) test are conducted for satellite missions to ensure the functionality of satellite subsystems in the space environment and their compatibility with the expected electromagnetic levels.
The Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-up to the former Chandrayaan -2 mission that will demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface and consist of a lander-rover configuration.
In March 2023, the Chandrayaan spacecraft successfully completed the necessary tests that validated its capability to withstand the harsh vibration and acoustic environment it will face during its launching phase.
