Bengaluru:

The triumph of Chandrayaan-3 – India’s Moon mission – was the result of tens of thousands of hours of research and analysis by hundreds of scientists, engineers and technicians, who guided the nation to space history last month after the Vikram lander soft-landed near the lunar South Pole. Spearheading the Indian Space Research Organisation’s efforts was agency boss S Somanath, who spoke exclusively to NDTV on Saturday, on his personal and professional journey and the importance of India creating and establishing a “permanent habitat” on the Moon, Mars and exoplanets.

Among the points the ISRO Chairperson discussed were the many challenges he has faced over the course of his career, including (the now scarcely believable) comment “my position (in ISRO) was threatened… I could have been thrown out”.

“… don’t think everything was nice for me in my life… I also faced challenges in personal life and official life. You (referring to himself) can be thrown out of an organisation… your position can be threatened (and) you are sometimes not even treated with great respect,” Mr Somanath told NDTV.

Looking back on his career, India’s top space man recalled harsh words ahead of an earlier launch.

“Many years ago… in launch of PSLV Mark-III expedition there was every possibility of a failure but somebody had to take the decision (of launching) and I took it. I think I was threatened… that it would be a “colossal failure”,” he said.

‘But there was nobody else and I did it… and it was successful. Many things happen in life like that.”

READ | India Must Have Permanent Habitat On Moon And Mars: ISRO Chief To NDTV

The ISRO boss, with a smile on his face, said that though he had been criticised and his ability questioned, he had taught himself to rise above the “silly words… silly acts” of some people.

“‘…you are not a suitable person (for this role)’… I hear all this criticism but you have to raise yourself above these silly things. Once you reach that point (of self-confidence) you can look at people like this and smile. Their silly acts can be ignored.”

READ |“Work Of A Generation”: ISRO Chief On Chandrayaan-3’s Moon Landing

“How to do that? You go through a process… learn how to develop your self-confidence. And once you do that then you are not worried about these silly people and their words,” he told NDTV.

The man who made India’s wildest space dreams a reality is soft-spoken and erudite, and describes himself as an “explorer”. “I explore the Moon… the inner space. It is part of the journey of my life to explore science and spirituality,” he said at a temple after Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon.

That “journey” involves an understanding of one’s weaknesses and limitations.

READ | “I Explore Both Science And Spirituality”: ISRO Chief On Temple Visit

Mr Somanath said. “I had several limitations… both in terms of technical capabilities and my own personal capacity. You work on this over a period of time in your own way. For me, my mental and physical growth and subject knowledge growth was thanks to various people who came in my life at different times and gave me insight.”

On India Habitat On Moon, Mars

On India’s future space plans – which include the Aditya L1 solar and manned Gaganyaan mission – Mr Somanath said if humanity plans to travel beyond Earth, habitat creation is needed on the Moon and Mars, as well as exoplanets, and that Indians had to be there.

“We think of ourselves as so inferior today… that we are not technologically advanced, not financially powerful. And we always think we are poor, so we can’t invest in all of this. I believe that this has to go, for a nation which thinks that they are the one who are creators of knowledge,” he said.

New Delhi:

India’s space agency has shared a video of the Pragyan rover being rotated on the Moon’s surface – remotely from the command centre in Bengaluru – in search of a route that avoids craters and rocks on the lunar surface. The rover and Vikram, the lander that carried Pragyan to the Moon, are racing to finish experiments before a lunar night (which lasts 14 Earth days) sets next week.

“The rover was rotated in search of a safe route. The rotation was captured by a Lander Imager Camera,” the Indian Space Research Organisation posted on X (formerly Twitter). “It feels as though a child is playfully frolicking in the yards of Chandamama, while the mother watches affectionately…”

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
The rover was rotated in search of a safe route. The rotation was captured by a Lander Imager Camera.

It feels as though a child is playfully frolicking in the yards of Chandamama, while the mother watches affectionately.
Isn’t it? pic.twitter.com/w5FwFZzDMp

— ISRO (@isro) August 31, 2023

This latest update from the Moon comes a day after Pragyan shared an image of Vikram – the first using its NavCam, or navigation camera and the first since it was deployed. All visuals shared before were taken by the lander; happy ISRO scientists posted the “image of the mission” on X.

READ | “Smile, Please!”: Rover Pragyan Clicks Image Of Lander Vikram On Moon

Pragyan’s “Moon Walk” Video

On Monday too ISRO shared a “re-route” update from the Moon, noting Pragyan had been sent on a different, and safer, path, after coming face-to-face with a four-meter diameter crater.

READ | Rover Pragyan Faces Large Crater During Moon Walk, Sent On “New Path”

Pragyan Confirms Presence Of Sulphur Near Moon’s South Pole

One of the instruments on the rover – the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope – has confirmed the presence of sulphur on the lunar surface near south pole, ISRO said Tuesday, adding that aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon and oxygen had also detected.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:

In-situ scientific experiments continue …..

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) instrument onboard the Rover unambiguously confirms the presence of Sulphur (S) in the lunar surface near the south pole, through first-ever in-situ measurements.… pic.twitter.com/vDQmByWcSL

— ISRO (@isro) August 29, 2023

ISRO said in-situ measurements revealed, “unambiguously”, the presence of sulphur – something not feasible using instruments onboard orbiters – and that they were now hunting for hydrogen.

India Makes Space History

The nation took a giant leap on August 23 after Chandrayaan-3’s module – Vikram – touched down; India became only the fourth country – after the United States, China, and Russia – to soft land on the moon’s surface – and the first to go as close as it did to the Moon’s South Pole.

India’s next big space mission is to launch on Saturday – Aditya L1 – which will orbit the Sun and observe solar activities and their effects on space weather in real time.

A series of pictures appearing the rollout of Chandrayaan-3 rover Pragyan from the lander to the lunar floor as seen through Lander Imager Digital camera on August 23, 2023. Picture: X/@isro by way of PTi

Giving a much-awaited glimpse of Pragyan rover at the lunar floor, the Indian Range Analysis Organisation (ISRO) on Friday stated it effectively traversed a distance of about 8 metres. The length company absolved two movies of Pragyan, two days later the Chandrayaan-3’s lander Vikram made a historic soft-landing on the Moon’s south pole.

The primary video, which runs for 30 seconds, displays Pragyan rover rolling out from the lander onto the lunar floor. The video used to be captured through the lander imager digital camera on Wednesday. The second one video displays the deployment of the ramp from the lander module previous to the roll-out of the rover and deployment of the sun panel of the rover.

“A two-segment ramp facilitated the roll-down of the rover. A solar panel enabled the rover to generate power. Here is how the rapid deployment of the ramp and solar panel took place, prior to the rolldown of the rover. The deployment mechanisms, totalling 26 in the Ch-3 mission, were developed at U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC)/ISRO, Bengaluru,” ISRO stated on X (previously Twitter) date freeing the second one video.

Offering extra updates at the rover’s motion, ISRO stated that Pragyan has effectively traversed a distance of about 8 metres and that the payloads were “turned on”. “All planned Rover movements have been verified. The Rover has successfully traversed a distance of about eight meters. The Rover payloads  Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) and Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) are turned on,” ISRO stated. The target of the 2 payloads is to derive the fundamental composition within the neighborhood of the touchdown website online.

The lander and the rover with a undertaking week of 1 lunar generation (14 earth days) have clinical payloads to hold out experiments at the lunar floor.

The lander has 4 payloads to review thermal conductivity, temperature, seismicity, and alternative traits of lunar floor. Of them, 3 payloads – ILSA, RAMBHA and ChaSTE – were became on.

“All payloads on the propulsion module, lander module, and rover are performing nominally,” ISRO added.

Defined | Why did Chandrayaan-3 land on the near side of the moon?

ISRO deletes put up

ISRO on Friday morning absolved photographs of the Chandrayaan-2’s digital camera recognizing the Chandrayaan-3’s lander at the social media platform handiest to delete it next.

“The Chandrayaan-2’s Orbiter High-Resolution Camera (OHRC) spots Chandrayaan-3 Lander,” the length company had stated.

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File picture of President Droupadi Murmu.
| Photo Credit: ANI

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday congratulated the ISRO over the successful deployment of the Chandrayaan 3’s Pragyan Rover.

The deployment took place a few hours after the successful landing of the Lander Module. The Rover was inside the belly of the Lander Module.

“I once again congratulate the ISRO team and all fellow citizens for successful deployment of Pragyan-rover from inside Vikram-lander. Its rolling out a few hours after the landing of Vikram marked the success of yet another stage of Chandrayan 3. I look forward with excitement, alongside my fellow citizens and scientists to the information and analyses that Pragyan will acquire and enrich our understanding of the moon,” Ms. Murmu posted on X social media platform on Thursday.

Though there was no official word from ISRO on August 23 about the deployment of Pragyan, its roll out took place a few hours after the successful landing.

ISRO is yet to officially release any images of the rollout of the Rover or its deployment on the lunar surface. However on social media there have been images of the Pragyan coming out of the Lander Module.

The Rover will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during the course of its mobility.

“The Pragyan rover may come out in the next few hours or it may take one day also to come out depending on the conditions,” ISRO Chairman S. Somanath told reporters after the soft landing on August 23.

Also Read | On the moon, over the moon

He said that once out, the rover would carry out two important experiments. It has two payloads — the LASER Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) and the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS). The objectives of the LIBS are to conduct qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis and to derive the chemical composition and infer mineralogical composition to further our understanding of the lunar surface.

The APXS will determine the elemental composition of lunar soil and rocks around the landing site.

• The deployment of the Chandrayaan 3’s Pragyan Rover took place a few hours after the successful landing of the Vikram Lander Module. The Rover was inside the belly of the Lander Module.
• ISRO is yet to officially release any images of the rollout of the Rover or its deployment on the lunar surface.
• The Rover will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during the course of its mobility.

A dish antenna is seen inside the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) facility on August 23, 2023 in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

With Vikram, the lander module of Chandrayaan-3, successfully landing on the surface of moon on August 23, the focus has now moved to the rover in its belly, Pragyan.

The officials at the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network (ISTRAC) are readying to roll out the rover, which will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during the course of its mobility.

“The Pragyan rover may come out in the next few hours or it may take one day also to come out depending on the conditions,” ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said.

He said that once out, the rover would carry out two important experiments. It has two payloads — the LASER Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) and the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS). The objectives of the LIBS are to conduct qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis and to derive the chemical composition and infer mineralogical composition to further our understanding of the lunar surface.

The APXS will determine the elemental composition of lunar soil and rocks around the landing site.

The team behind Chandrayan-3’s success

Soon after the ISRO achieved the historic feat of landing on the lunar south pole, Mr. Somanth introduced the key members who enabled India to achieve the task flawlessly.

P. Veeramuthuvel, Project Director, Chandrayaan-3, said, “It is a great moment of happiness, it gives me immense satisfaction on achieving this goal as Project Director of this mission. The entire mission operations from launch till landing happened flawlessly as per the timeline and we have become the fourth country to demonstrate the soft landing on the moon and the first country to go to the south pole of the moon.”

Sreekanth, Mission Director, Chandrayaan-3, said, “It gives me immense pleasure to be part of Chandrayaan-3 and as Mission Director, I would like to thank each and every team member who has supported in carrying out all the mission operations flawlessly.”

Calling it a memorable moment, Kalpana K., Associate Project Director, Chandrayaan-3 said, “We have achieved our goal flawlessly after rebuilding our spacecraft. It has been breath in and out for our team.”

Also read | A testament to India’s progress in science: Russia

M. Sankaran, Director of U.R. Rao Satellite Centre, said, “Today we have achieved what we set out to achieve in 2019. It was delayed by four years but we have done it.” He was referring to the failed landing of Chandrayaan-2 in 2019.

Students in Surat hold a banner wishing successful landing of Chandrayaan-3’s on Moon’s surface
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Centre has asked all universities and higher education institutions, including IITs and IIMs, to organise special assemblies to watch the live-streaming of Chandrayaan-3’s landing on Moon.

“The landing of India’s Chandrayaan-3 is a monumental occasion that will not only fuel curiosity but also spark a passion for exploration within the minds of our youth. It will generate a profound sense of pride and unity as we collectively celebrate the prowess of Indian science and technology.

“It will contribute to fostering an environment of scientific inquiry and innovation,” Higher Education secretary K. Sanjay Murthy said in a letter to all heads of all education institutions.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has also issued a similar directive asking the institutions to hold special assemblies and live stream moments of Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission landing, on Wednesday.

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Chandrayaan-3 is scheduled to land on the Moon on August 23, at approximately 6:04 pm. Chandrayaan-3 is all set to make a soft landing on Moon’s south pole.

“The Higher Education Institutions are requested to organise special assemblies from 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm and watch live streaming of Chandrayaan-3 landing on the Moon to witness this momentous occasion,” the letter added.

Arun Haryani, an enthusiast with his body painted in tri-colours, reacts on August 22, 2023 as he holds up a model of LVM3 M4 which was used in launching of Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the eve of its moon landing.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

As scientists at ISRO gear up for the much-awaited soft landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the Moon’s surface, the space agency may postpone the touchdown to August 27 in the event that health parameters of the lander module are found to be “abnormal”, a senior official has said.

ISRO has planned the soft landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft at 06.04 p.m. IST on August 23.

The Moon mission was launched on July 14 at 2.35 p.m. from Sriharikota.

According to ISRO Space Applications Centre Director Nilesh Desai, the focus of the scientists would be on reducing the speed of the spacecraft above the lunar surface.

“The lander will try to land on the Moon’s surface from a height of 30km on August 23, and its velocity at that time will be 1.68 km per second. Our focus will be on reducing that speed because the Moon’s gravitational force will also play its part,” he told PTI in Ahmedabad.

“If we do not control that speed, there will be chances of a crash landing. If any health parameter (of the lander module) is found abnormal on August 23, then we will postpone the landing to August 27,” he said.

Responding to a query, Mr. Desai expressed hope that scientists would try to make the lander module land on the lunar surface successfully.

“The landing begins at 06.04 PM IST. Two hours before that, we will upload the commands. We will do an analysis of the telemetry signal and consider the conditions of the Moon. If any health parameter goes wrong, we will push it to August 27 and will try to land (on that day) if all goes well,” he said.

Observing that the final 17 minutes of the descent of the lander module are “very vital”, he said, “When we begin landing, four-engine thrusters will fire and reduce its speed.”

“When the lander is at a height of 800 metres from the lunar surface, running on two engines, the speed will reach zero. From 800 metres to 150 metres, it (lander module) will descend vertically,” he said.

Data collected using the sensors on board the lander module will be very important and, on that basis, the landing site would be chosen, he said.

“We have sensors that would transmit exact information about the speed and distance of the lander from the Moon’s surface,” he said.

“Planning (safe-landing on the lunar surface) has been done keeping various scenarios in mind. We hope to land at 70 degree latitude safely on the Moon’s South Pole on August 23,” he said.

To another query, he said,” A lot of upgrades have been made this time. Hardware systems are made robust. We will be successful (in soft landing on the lunar surface).”

In case the mission shifts to August 27, he said, “we have chosen another landing site which is 400 km away from the main landing site.”

Speaking about Russia’s Luna-25 mission that crash landed on the Moon, Mr. Desai said Moscow has a lot of resources and despite that, they failed.

“They were trying to proceed to the South Pole of the Moon. It is normal to be disappointed (since the mission failed). At ISRO, we have been working to make the Chandrayaan-3 mission a success for the past four years,” he said.

“The previous Chandrayaan-2 mission was a failure during soft landing. We have learned from our mistakes. (This time) we have made a lot of changes and added new sensors,” he said.

He said the scientists conducted a lot of field trials and carried out tests in various centres of ISRO.

“We are confident this time. We hope to succeed this time. People’s wishes are also with us.” he said.

Earlier in the day, ISRO said the mission is on schedule and it is smooth sailing for the spacecraft.

“The mission is on schedule. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing,” ISRO said.

Chandrayaan-3 lander module’s soft landing on the lunar surface would put India in the elite club of countries that have reached the Moon’s surface — the United States, the erstwhile Soviet Union and China.

• As scientists at ISRO gear up for the much-awaited soft landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the Moon’s surface, the space agency may postpone the touchdown to August 27 in the event that health parameters of the lander module are found to be “abnormal”, a senior official has said.
• According to ISRO Space Applications Centre Director Nilesh Desai, the focus of the scientists would be on reducing the speed of the spacecraft above the lunar surface.
• Chandrayaan-3 lander module’s soft landing on the lunar surface would put India in the elite club of countries that have reached the Moon’s surface — the United States, the erstwhile Soviet Union and China.

Students with painted faces surround a replica of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft in Chennai on August 22, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Four years after its predecessor crashed on the lunar surface minutes before touch down, Chandrayaan-3’s lander module with the rover in its belly on Wednesday will once again attempt to land on the Moon at 6.04 p.m.

Around 5.45 p.m., the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network (ISTRAC), Bengaluru, will initiate the powered descent of the lander module.

Also Read — What next for ISRO after Chandrayaan-3 mission?

If all goes as per plan, 19 minutes later at 6.04 p.m., the lander would make a safe and soft landing on the Moon and would make India the fourth country to achieve this feat after the U.S., Russia and China.

The complex powered descent during the Chandrayaan-2’s was referred to as “15 minutes of terror” by the then ISRO Chairman K. Sivan. It can be recalled that Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram lander almost evaded this “15 minutes of terror” but it gave up at an altitude of 2.1 km before touchdown and subsequently lost communication with the ground stations.

More robust

However, with the Chandrayaan-3 mission, ISRO has made several changes to make the mission a success, which include strengthening of the landers’ legs, reduction in the number of engines, increasing the quantity of propellant, inclusion of new sensors among others.

Earlier this month, ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said that even if all sensors fail while attempting to make the soft landing on the lunar surface, the lander would still be able to land provided that the propulsion system works.

“If all the sensors fail, we will still be able to land provided that the propulsion system works. Even if the two engines fail, we will be able to land, that’s how the design has been made,” Mr. Somanath said.

He added that this time they have made all the systems more robust and have changed the guidance design and introduced newer algorithms.

Rover deployment

A few hours after ISRO succeeds in making a safe and soft landing of the lander on the lunar surface, it will deploy the rover which will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during the course of its mobility. The lander and the rover with a mission life of one Lunar day (14 earth days) have scientific payloads to carry out experiments on the lunar surface.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. Since then Earth-bound manoeuvres, crucial trans-lunar injection (TLI), lunar orbit insertion, orbit reduction manoeuvres were carried out along with the separation of the propulsion module and the lander module.

ISRO on Tuesday said the mission was on schedule with systems checks being carried out by scientists and engineers. “The mission is on schedule. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing. The Mission Operations Complex [MOX] is buzzed with energy & excitement!,” ISRO posted on social media platform X on Tuesday.

An illustration showing ISRO’s ‘Chandrayaan-3’ after the orbit of Landing Module (LM) was successfully reduced to 25 km x 134 km.
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Lander Module of India’s third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 is set to touch down on the Moon on August 23 around 6.04 p.m. IST, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on August 20.

The powered descent is expected to commence at 5.45 p.m. on the designated day.

Also read | ISRO one step away from landing on Moon as Lander Module completes second deboost operation  

Earlier on August 20, the ISRO performed the second and final deebost of the Lander Module to reduce the Lander Module to 25 km x 134 km.

“Chandrayaan-3 Mission: The second and final deboosting operation has successfully reduced the LM orbit to 25 km x 134 km,” said the ISRO after the deebost of the Lander Module.

The ISRO said that the module would undergo internal checks and await the sun-rise at the designated landing site.

On August 18, the ISRO successfully performed the first deboosting operation that reduced its orbit to 113 km x 157 km. This was performed the day after the lander module separated from the propulsion module after a 34-day long journey towards the Moon.

The ISRO on August 20 said it successfully reduced the orbit of the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s Lander Module (LM), further bringing it nearer to the moon.
| Photo Credit: ISRO

The Lander Module of India’s third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 has completed its second and final deebost in the early hours of August 20.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) performed the second and final deebost of the Lander Module to reduce the Lander Module to 25 km x 134 km.

Also read: ISRO releases two videos of the Moon on August 18 

“Chandrayaan-3 Mission: The second and final deboosting operation has successfully reduced the LM orbit to 25 km x 134 km,” said ISRO after the deebost of the Lander Module.

On August 18, ISRO successfully performed the first deboosting operation that reduced its orbit to 113 km x 157 km. This was performed the day after the lander module separated from the propulsion module after a 34-day long journey towards the Moon.

Following the two deboost operations the much-awaited landing of the Lander with the Rover in its belly is expected to take place on August 23.

Post the second and final second and final deebost operation, ISRO said that the module would undergo internal checks and await the sun-rise at the designated landing site.

“The module would undergo internal checks and await the sun-rise at the designated landing site,” the space agency said.

Now that the two deebost operations have gone smoothly as planned, ISRO expected to perform the most critical part of the mission on August 23 which is to touch down on the lunar surface.

ISRO said that the powered descent is expected to commence at 5:45 p.m. on the designated day.

“The powered descent is expected to commence on August 23, 2023, around 1745 Hrs. IST,” ISRO posted on the social media platform X early on August 20.

Why wait for the sun-rise?

In July while announcing the date of the launch of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said, “If the launch takes place on that day (July 14) then we will be ready for landing on the moon possibly by the last week of August. The date (landing date) is decided when there is sunrise on the Moon. When we are landing, sunlight must be there. So, the landing will be on August 23,” Mr. Somanath said.

Mr. Somanath said that if the landing does not take place as planned on August 23, then ISRO will wait for another month to make a landing attempt in September.

“The Lander and the Rover will stay on the Moon for 14 days until sunlight is there. When there is no sunlight, a small solar panel which is on the Rover will generate power to charge the battery for the next 14 days until light comes. The temperature there goes down to minus 40 degrees and in such an environment there is no guarantee that the battery, electronics will survive but we did some tests and we get the feeling that it will survive even in such harsh conditions,” Mr. Somanath said.