Chandrayaan-3 LIVE Updates: Vikram Lander's Moon Landing Today; PM Modi to Join Virtually

Chandrayaan-3, with an estimated budget of Rs 615 crore, is said to be one of the most cost-effective space missions as compared to its predecessors.

Meanwhile, Chandrayaan-2, launched on July 22, 2019, was manufactured at a cost of Rs 978 crore, including Rs 603 crore for the orbiter, lander, rover, navigation and ground support network and Rs 375 crore for the heavy GSLV rocket with indigenous cryogenic engine.

• After the launch on July 14, Chandrayaan-3 conducted a series of orbit-raising manoeuvres to gradually move the spacecraft into higher and higher orbits before beginning to move directly towards the moon. The earth-bound manoeuvres went on till July 31 after which the craft moved into translunar orbit.
• Chandrayaan-3 performed the Trans Lunar Injection (TLI), a propulsive manoeuvre to slingshot the spacecraft towards the Moon from Earth’s orbit on August 1. The propulsive manoeuvre sent the lunar craft on a trajectory towards the Moon.
• Chandrayaan-3 entered into the lunar orbit on August 5, following which orbit reduction manoeuvres were carried out on the satellite on August 6, 9, 14 and 16.
• On August 16, ISRO successfully carried out the fifth and final orbit reduction manoeuvre.

Chandrayaan-3 took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh from the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV-MK III) heavy-lift rocket on July 14, 2023.

The mission would help boost the government’s plan to spur investment in private space launches and related satellite-based businesses.

The significance of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is that the Propulsion Module has a payload- SHAPE or Spectro- polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth to study Earth from lunar orbit, according to PTI.

Suspense and excitement are building up across the nation as India will be attempting to soft land its lander on the moon on Wednesday evening. The Rs 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission is all set to provide the 19 minutes of terror, suspense and excitement for the officials of Indian space agency and others as the lander that was carried by Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft will start its descent towards the lunar soil.

It may be recalled that the Vikram lander that was part of the Chandrayaan-2 mission a couple of years back crashed on the moon while it was on the last phase of the landing. The recent crashing of Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft on the moon also adds to the feeling of terror, suspense and excitement about Chandrayaan-3’s lander.

If all goes well as planned on Wednesday, India will become the fourth nation in the world to soft land on the moon after Russia, USA and China.

Hindu organisations have filed a police complaint against actor and activist Prakash Raj in Bagalkot district of Karnataka for his objectionable tweet on Chandrayaan-3.

The actor had shared a cartoon post of a man serving tea in his vest and lungi and stated “Breaking news: first picture coming from the Moon by Vikram Lander. Wow, just asking” he mentioned.

The complaint has been filed with Banahatti police station in Bagalkot district. The Hindu organisations have charged that the post by Prakash Raj was mocking Chandrayaan-3 mission and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The complainants have demanded immediate action on the actor.

Reactions continue to pour in as ISRO’s ambitious third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module (LM) is all set to land on the lunar surface on Wednesday evening. While special ‘pujas’ are being organised in temples across India, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, her Maharashtra counterpart Eknath Shinde and Union minister Jitendra Singh are eagerly watching out for the historic event.

If Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module (LM) lands successfully this evening, India will become the first country to reach the uncharted south pole of Earth’s only natural satellite. The LM comprising the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan), is scheduled to make a touch down near the south polar region of the Moon at 6:04 pm on Wednesday. READ MORE

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is the third lunar exploration mission planned by ISRO following the failed Chandrayaan-2 mission. The mission serves as a continuation of the Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019 and aims to showcase the complete capability of safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3 consists of three parts: a Lander module (LM), Propulsion module (PM) and a Rover. The Lander has the capability to soft land at a specified lunar site and deploy the Rover which will carry out the research on the lunar surface.

The Lander and the Rover have scientific payloads to carry out experiments on the lunar surface. The main function of Propulsion module is to carry the Lander module from launch vehicle injection till final lunar 100 km circular polar orbit.

The Chandrayaan mission, also known as the Indian lunar exploration programme, involves a series of space missions conducted by ISRO. The first mission, Chandrayaan-1, was launched in 2008 and successfully entered lunar orbit.

Chandrayaan-2 had failed in its lunar phase when its lander ‘Vikram’ crashed into the surface of the Moon following anomalies in the braking system in the lander while attempting a touch down on September 7, 2019.

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 and its objectives are to demonstrate safe and soft-landing on the lunar surface, roving on the Moon, and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

The Rs 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 onboard Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket, for a 41-day voyage to reach near the lunar south pole.

Chandrayaan-3 is all set for a successful landing on the south polar region of the Moon on August 23 (Wednesday) at 6:04 pm after completing its 40-day journey. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday said in an update that Chandrayaan-3 mission is on schedule.

If the Chandrayaan-3 mission succeeds in making a touchdown on moon and in landing a robotic lunar rover, India will become the fourth country to master the technology of soft-landing on the lunar surface after the US, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union. READ MORE

ISRO’s lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 is all set to attempt a soft landing on Wednesday at 6:04 pm. As per the latest update, the mission is on schedule.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in a post on X (formally Twitter) said, “Chandrayaan-3 Mission: The mission is on schedule. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing. The Mission Operations Complex (MOX) is buzzed with energy & excitement! The live telecast of the landing operations at MOX/ISTRAC begins at 17:20 Hrs. IST on August 23, 2023. Here are the images of the moon captured by the Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC) from an altitude of about 70 km, on August 19, 2023. LPDC images assist the Lander Module in determining its position (latitude and longitude) by matching them against an onboard moon reference map.”

The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Tuesday said a mega ‘yajna’ will be held in the national capital for the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the lunar surface. The ‘yajna’ will be held on Wednesday morning by the Arya Samaj and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) at the Arya Samaj Mandir in Sant Nagar, it said.

“For a successful landing of Chandrayaan-3, a mega ‘yajna’ has been organised under the joint aegis of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Arya Samaj,” VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal said.

“It will be held on August 23 at 7:30 am at Arya Samaj Mandir, Sant Nagar, East of Kailash, in New Delhi,” he said.

After a journey of around 40 days, ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 will attempt a landing on the moon’s surface on Wednesday. ISRO has confirmed that the mission is right on schedule and shared information on when and where to watch the live telecast of the landing.

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) ambitious third moon mission Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module is set to land on the lunar surface on Wednesday evening, as India eyes to become the first country to reach the uncharted south pole of the moon.

Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module, comprising the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan), is scheduled to make a touchdown near the south polar region of the moon at 6:04 pm on Wednesday.

If the Chandrayaan-3 mission succeeds in making a touchdown on the moon and in landing a robotic lunar rover in ISRO’s second attempt in four years, India will become the fourth country to master the technology of soft-landing on the lunar surface after the US, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union.

After Lander Module, comprising the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan) lands on moon’s surface, the Chandrayaan-3 is scheduled to remain active for 14 days to conduct a range of experiments including a spectrometer analysis to unveil the lunar surface’s mineral composition.

ISRO’s scientists will closely monitor rover operations for a lunar day or 14 Earth days, meticulously analyzing the wealth of data collected from five scientific instruments on both the lander and the rover.

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 and its objectives are to demonstrate safe and soft-landing on the lunar surface, roving on the Moon, and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

The Rs 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 onboard Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket, for a 41-day voyage to reach near the lunar south pole.

Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander will attempt soft landing on the surface of moon at 6:04 pm today.

India’s moon mission Chandrayaan-3 is attempting soft landing on surface of moon today at 6:04 pm. The landing of Vikram lander can be seen on ISRO YouTube channel and on News18 TV channels, News18’s YouTube and live updates can also be tracked on News18.com apart from all leading news channels.