Spacecraft will reach Moon in the coming weeks
Chandrayaan-3 carries the hopes and dreams of India, Prime Minister Narendera Modi said of the 14 July launch of the spacecraft which will be inserted into the Lunar Transfer Trajectory after the orbit raising maneuvers.
Covering over 300,000 km, it will reach the Moon in the coming weeks. “Scientific instruments onboard will study the Moon’s surface and enhance our knowledge,” said the Prime Minister.
It is a follow up on Chandrayaan-1, a path breaker among global lunar missions as it confirmed the presence of water molecules on the moon. It featured in over 200 scientific publications around the world.
Chandrayaan-2 was equally pathbreaking because data from the Orbiter associated with it detected the presence of chromium, manganese and sodium for the first time through remote sensing.
The key scientific outcomes from Chandrayaan-2 include the first ever global map for lunar sodium, enhancing knowledge on crater size distribution, unambiguous detection of lunar surface water ice with IIRS instrument and more.
Speaking at Sriharikota after the launch on 14 July, Minister of State for Department of Space Dr Jitendra Singh said Chandrayaan-3 reiterates India’s indigenous capabilities and vindicates the dream that Vikram Sarabhai saw six decades ago.
“The launch is a reaffirmation of this faith in India’s potential and acumen,” he said.
Dr Jitendra Singh told media that the opening up of Space sector to private players has helped in creating an ecosystem which enables pooling of all assets and resources, and also enables synergy of knowledge and funds.
Even the Chandrayaan-3 mission has a huge contribution by the industry, he said.
The LVM3 M4 rocket lifted off from the 2nd Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), SHAR, Sriharikota at 2:35 PM and successfully launched the Chandrayaan-3 into orbit. Chandrayaan-3, in its precise orbit, has begun its journey to the Moon.
ISRO said the health of the spacecraft is normal. Fiinews.com
