Unlike its predecessor, Chandrayaan-3 will only have a lander and a rover, but not an orbiter. At the same time, ISRO is also preparing for its first human Gaganyaan space mission.
Archival photo of Chandrayaan-2 (Photo credits: PTI)
Chandrayaan-3 is likely to launch in early 2021 rather than the second half of 2020, as suggested by the government. Union Minister Jitendra Singh made the announcement on Sunday, adding that India’s mission to the Moon will include a rover and lander, but not an orbiter like its predecessor.
Following the Chandrayaan-2 crash landing in September last year, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) had mentioned its plans to launch another mission to the moon by the end of 2020. However, the novel coronavirus pandemic has caused a delay. at the launch of Chandrayaan-3.
Headed for the South Pole of the Moon, Chandrayaan-2 was launched on July 22, 2019. The Vikram landed hard on the lunar surface on September 7. Authorities have confirmed that despite the setback, the orbiter is in working condition and can transmit data back to Earth.
Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (MoS) for the Space Department, said that Chandrayaan-1, which was ISRO’s inaugural mission to the Moon, has transmitted images suggesting that the Moon may be rusting the poles.
“The sign of this finding is that, although the surface of the Moon is known to have iron-rich rocks, the presence of water and oxygen, which are the two elements necessary to interact with iron to create oxide, is not known,” Jitendra Singh said.
This could also be a sign that Earth’s atmosphere is also protecting the moon, scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said. In addition, they added: “Therefore, the data from the Moon Chandrayaan-1 indicate that the poles of the Moon harbor water, this is what scientists are trying to decipher.”
At the same time, India is also preparing for its first human space mission, Gaganyaan, for which training and other procedures are underway.
Minister Jitendra Singh said: “Limitations due to the COVID pandemic caused some disruptions to Gaganyaan’s plan, but efforts are underway to stick to the timeline around 2022.”
(With PTI inputs)
