Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS
‘The spacecraft is scheduled to make a landing at the lunar south pole in the early hours of Wednesday morning.’
India Prepares for Soft Landing on Moon’s South Pole
India is poised to make history as it attempts to achieve a soft landing on the moon’s south pole. The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 mission, which was launched on July 14th and entered lunar orbit on August 5th, is scheduled to touch down on Wednesday at approximately 8:34AM EDT. This follows Russia’s unsuccessful attempt to beat India to the punch, which ended in failure. The ISRO’s live telecast of the event can be watched below and is set to begin at 3:50AM EDT.
The main objective of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander is to touch down near the moon’s south pole, where it is believed that water ice may be present. The discovery of water ice in this region could prove crucial for future lunar missions and the establishment of bases, providing essential resources such as water, oxygen, and fuel. However, the landing process could be challenging due to the rugged terrain and shadowy craters in the area. The previous mission, Chandrayaan-2, ended in a crash in 2019 during its descent to the lunar south pole.
To address the issues faced in the previous mission, Chandrayaan-3 incorporates a “failure-based design” that incorporates lessons learned from the hard landing in 2019. The new version features an expanded landing area, software upgrades, and redundant systems to mitigate potential outages.
The ISRO’s X account, formerly known as Twitter, posted an update on Tuesday morning stating, “The mission is on schedule. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing.” It also shared pictures of the moon’s surface taken from orbit.
To witness the Indian lander’s descent, viewers can tune in early Wednesday morning (US time).