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India landed the spacecraft Chandrayaan 3 on the moon, becoming the fourth country in history to achieve such a feat.
The mission could cement India’s status as a global superpower in space. Until now, only the United States, China, and the former Soviet Union have successfully soft-landed on the moon.
Chandrayaan 3’s landing site is closer to the lunar south pole than any other spacecraft to date. The Antarctic region is considered an area of significant scientific and strategic interest for spaceflight nations, as scientists believe there is water ice deposits in the area.
frozen water shadow cratercould be converted into rocket fuel and even drinking water for future manned missions.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently in South Africa for the BRICS summit, watched the landing virtually and shared remarks broadcast on the livestream.
“On this momentous occasion, I would like to call out to people all over the world,” he said. “This success is for all of humanity and will help other countries explore the moon in the future.”
India’s attempt to land a spacecraft near the South Pole of the Moon comes days after other countries’ similar attempts failed. Russia’s Luna 25 probe crashed on the moon on August 19 after an engine misfire, ending the country’s first lunar landing attempt in 47 years.
As Chandrayaan 3 neared the moon, its cameras caught pictures, including one taken on Aug. 20, the Indian Space Agency shared on Tuesday. This image shows a close-up of the moon’s dusty gray terrain.
Journey of Chandrayaan 3
India’s lunar lander, which consists of three parts, a lander, a probe and a propulsion module, has so far been required to traverse the 384,400 kilometers (238,855 miles) of space between the Moon and Earth. provides all the thrust to the spacecraft.
The lander, called Vikram, completed the precision maneuvers required to soft-touch down on the lunar surface after being ejected from its propulsion module. A small six-wheeled probe “Pragyan” is stored inside, and it is deployed while rolling on a slope from the landing ship.
Weighing approximately 1,700 kg (3,748 lb), the lander and 26 kg (57.3 lb) rover are packed with scientific instruments that will allow researchers to analyze the lunar surface and gain new insights into its composition. We are ready to collect data that will help us.
Dr. Angela Marciak, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Institute, said she was particularly excited that the lunar lander would have a seismometer on board that would attempt to detect earthquakes inside the moon.
Studying how the lunar inner layer moves could provide important information for future studies of the moon’s surface, Marciac said.
“We don’t want astronauts to be endangered by potential seismic activity,” Marciac said. “Or, if we were to build structures on the Moon, they would be safe from any seismic activity.”
The lander and rover are expected to function on the lunar surface for about two weeks. The propulsion module will remain in orbit and act as a relay point for transmitting data to Earth.
work together allies India, along with the United States and France, is joining a second wave of emerging space powers. The country’s space program has become one of the busiest in the world in developing exploration space technology.
Chandrayaan 3 is a national pride and attracts widespread interest across India. A crowd gathered at the launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. On Wednesday, more than 8 million people watched the livestream of the landing.
India’s mission has taken on even greater importance since Russia’s Luna 25 landing program failed. With the success of Chandrayaan 3, India became the second country after China to land a rover on the moon in the 21st century. Since 2013, China has sent three landers to the lunar surface, including the first landing on the far side of the moon. . (Manned Apollo 17, the last US lunar module, landed in her 1972.)
More than a dozen countries are planning missions to the moon in the next few years, including a mission launched by Japan’s space agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, which is set to launch later this month. It is scheduled.There are plans to send the United States 3 commercial lunar landers NASA continues to work towards the Artemis III mission, which could return astronauts to the moon as early as 2025.
However, a moon landing remains a daunting challenge. India’s last attempt to land a rover on the moon failed with the Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019. And recently, two commercial spacecraft crash-landed on the moon. One came from Israel in 2019 and the other from Japan in April.
“There is no question that landing on the moon is a real challenge,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement earlier this week. “But the moon offers such a bounty scientifically that we have seen so many attempts to visit the lunar surface again in recent times. looking forward to it.”
India is also a signatory to the US Artemis Accords, which outlines proposed road rules for future lunar exploration. Russia and China have not signed the agreement.