India wants to be 1st to land in unexplored region of the Moon – 07/13/2023 – Science

Shortly after 2pm this Friday (14th local time), a huge rocket carrying a lander, a small vehicle and lots of dreams will lift off from eastern India for the moon.

If all goes according to plan, India will become the first country to have a “soft landing” of a rover vehicle in an unexplored part of the Moon, the lunar south pole.

A smooth landing means the vehicle will not be destroyed on landing.

The moon’s polar surface is treacherous terrain with large craters and steep slopes. Some craters have not received sunlight for billions of years, leading to extremely low temperatures, as low as -203°C, and making it very difficult to operate the instruments.

That’s why all lunar missions so far have landed closer to the equator, where the terrain and temperature are more receptive.

The Indian space agency says it has taken steps to reduce the chances of failure for the lunar mission, known as Chandrayaan-3.

“Instead of success-based design like Chandrayaan-2, on Chandrayaan-3 we are doing failure-based design,” says S. Somnath, president of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

“Whatever can fail and how to protect it (the project), this is the approach we took.”

Why India Wants to Land on the Far Side of the Moon

Performed in 2008, Chandrayaan-1, India’s first lunar mission, detected the presence of water on the lunar surface and cost US$ 79 million.

“We still need a lot more detail about where and how much water there is, and whether all of it is frozen,” explains Akash Sinha, a professor of space robotics at Shiv Nadar University near Delhi.

“Understanding the nature and location of the water tanks can be very useful for the success of our future missions, and even housing can be planned close to the water tanks.”

Exploring the surface of the Moon’s polar regions, made up of rocks and soil, could also yield answers about the formation of the Solar System.

The cost nearly doubled on India’s second lunar mission, Chandrayaan 2, to $140 million. It was launched in early 2019 but failed to successfully land the rover vehicle.

India is now spending around US$80 million (approximately R$385 million) on Chandrayaan-3.

reduced costs

India’s space program has evolved over the last two decades, attracting global attention for its ability to reduce costs.

“In 2018, when India set a world record by launching 104 satellites in a single launch by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle [um foguete]we did it because our scientists and engineers know the art and science of inserting each of these 104 pieces into perfect orbit with precision,” says Susmita Mohanty, managing director of Spaceport Sarabhai, an independent space research center in India.

“Not everyone can perform this kind of delicate choreography in Earth orbit.”

The cost of Mangalyaan, the only Indian mission to Mars, was about $75 million — nearly a tenth of NASA’s Maven orbiter, which cost $485 million to develop and another $187 million to launch.

What sets all Indian space missions apart is the reuse and local supply of components.

Unlike the previous mission, Chandrayaan-3 does not include a new orbiter — a satellite that stays in orbit.

This mission will feature the Chandrayaan-2 mission orbiter to provide all communications between the lander, the rover and the control room.

India also keeps costs down by using less powerful rockets, as former Isro chairman K. Sivan previously explained.

“We are using the moon’s gravitational pull to bring the spacecraft into lunar orbit,” said Sivan. “Although it’s taking us 29 days to reach lunar orbit, this is the most cost-effective way to travel to the moon.”

Sivan pointed out that Israel had a similar strategy.

“Israel’s Beresheet mission, launched in early 2019, used the same economical route to the Moon.”

India’s space program has a budget of US$1.5 billion.

Susmita Mohanty explains that economics has always been fundamental in Indian projects.

“Among the major space powers, India has always been the pragmatic one,” points out Mohanty. “Take Chandrayaan-2, for example, where scientists used the principles of orbital mechanics to minimize fuel consumption and reached the Moon in 48 days instead of a few days.”