Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3 (candra-yāna, transl. "mooncraft";[3][4] pronunciation ) is a planned third lunar exploration mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).[5]

Chandrayaan-3
Mission typeLunar lander, rover
OperatorIndian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerIndian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
Power?
Start of mission
Launch dateLate 2021 or early 2022[1]
RocketGSLV Mark III[2]
Launch siteSatish Dhawan Space Centre
ContractorIndian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
Moon lander
Spacecraft componentRover
Landing dateTBD
Landing siteLunar south pole
 

Following Chandrayaan-2, where a snag in communication led to the failure of the lander's soft landing attempt after a successful orbital insertion, another lunar mission for demonstrating soft landing was proposed.[6] Chandrayaan-3 will be a mission repeat of Chandrayaan-2 but will only include a lander and rover similar to that of Chandrayaan-2. It will not have an orbiter.[7] Realisation within schedule will make ISRO the world's fourth space agency to conduct a soft lunar landing after the administration of the former USSR, NASA and CNSA.

Background

In the second phase of the Chandrayaan programme to demonstrate soft landing on the Moon, ISRO launched Chandrayaan-2 onboard a GSLV Mk III rocket consisting of an orbiter, a lander and a rover. The lander was scheduled to touchdown on the lunar surface in September 2019 to deploy the Pragyan rover.[8][9]

Earlier reports had emerged about a collaboration with Japan on a mission to the lunar south pole where India would be providing the lander while Japan would provide both launcher and rover. The mission may include site sampling and lunar night survival technologies.[10][11]

Subsequent failure of the Vikram lander led to the pursuit of another mission to demonstrate the landing capabilities needed for the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission proposed in partnership with Japan for 2024.[12]

Design

The lander for Chandrayaan-3 will have only four throttle-able engines[13] unlike Vikram on Chandrayaan-2 which had five 800 N engines with fifth one being centrally mounted and with fixed thrust. Additionally the Chandrayaan-3 lander will also be equipped with a Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV).[14]

Funding

In December 2019, it was reported that ISRO requested the initial funding of the project, amounting to ₹75 crore (US$11 million), out of which ₹60 crore (US$8.4 million) will be for meeting expenditure towards machinery, equipment and other capital expenditure, while the remaining ₹15 crore (US$2.1 million) is sought under revenue expenditure head.[15]

Confirming the existence of the project, ISRO's chairman K. Sivan stated that the cost would be around ₹615 crore (US$86 million).[16]

See also

References
  1. Singh, Surendra (5 December 2020). "Cyclones can stall last sat launch of this year; Chandrayaan-3 cams will provide live feed during final descent: Isro chief". The Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  2. 4 IAF Pilots Selected, Design Phase Of Manned Mission Over: ISRO Chief (Video). 2 January 2020. Event occurs at 5 minutes 25 seconds.
  3. Monier Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899): candra: "[...] m. the moon (also personified as a deity Mn. &c)" yāna: "[...] n. a vehicle of any kind , carriage , wagon , vessel , ship , [...]"
  4. "Chandrayaan-2 FAQ". Retrieved 24 August 2019. The name Chandrayaan means "Chandra- Moon, Yaan-vehicle", –in Indian languages (Sanskrit and Hindi), – the lunar spacecraft.
  5. "Press Meet - Briefing by Dr. K Sivan, Chairman, ISRO". www.isro.gov.in. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  6. Guptan, Mahesh (16 November 2019). "How did Chandrayaan 2 fail? ISRO finally has the answer". The Week. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  7. "Chandrayaan-3 to cost Rs 615 crore, launch could stretch to 2021". The Times of India. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  8. Singh, Surendra (5 August 2018). "Chandrayaan-2 launch put off: India, Israel in lunar race for 4th position". The Times of India. Times News Network. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  9. Shenoy, Jaideep (28 February 2016). "ISRO chief signals India's readiness for Chandrayaan II mission". The Times of India. Times News Network. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  10. "India's next Moon shot will be bigger, in pact with Japan". The Times of India. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020. For our next mission — Chandrayaan-3 — which will be accomplished in collaboration with JAXA (Japanese Space Agency), we will invite other countries too to participate with their payloads.
  11. "Episode 82: Jaxa and International Collaboration with Professor Fujimoto Masaki". AstrotalkUK. 4 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  12. ISRO Will Embark on Chandrayaan 3 by November 2020 for Another Landing Attempt. The Wire. 14 November 2019.
  13. Kumar, Chethan (15 September 2020). "Chandrayaan-3: No 5th engine on lander". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  14. Kumar, Chethan. "Chandrayaan-3 plans indicate failures in Chandrayaan-2". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 November 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  15. Kumar, Chethan (8 December 2019). "Isro seeks 75 crore more from Centre for Chandrayaan-3". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  16. "Chandrayaan-3 to cost Rs 615 crore, launch could stretch to 2021". The Times of India. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
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