India launches Chandrayaan-3 mission aiming for a soft landing on the Moon’s south pole

India’s space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation, successfully landed its Chandrayaan-3 mission near the Moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023, becoming the first to reach that region. Officials said the mission aimed to demonstrate new interplanetary technologies and conduct experiments on the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3 was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on July 14, 2023, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. After traveling through space, the mission entered lunar orbit on August 5, 2023, before the Vikram lander achieved a soft landing near the Moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023, at 18:04 Indian Standard Time (12:33–12:34 Coordinated Universal Time), according to ISRO officials.

This landing made India the first country to reach the lunar south polar region, located near 69 degrees south latitude, and the fourth nation overall to successfully perform a soft landing on the Moon, following the Soviet Union, the United States, and China.

ISRO described the landing as a major milestone for India’s space program. The achievement came shortly after Russia’s Luna-25 mission crashed during an attempted south pole landing three days earlier, according to international space reports. The Chandrayaan-3 mission’s primary goal was to demonstrate new technologies for interplanetary missions, including end-to-end landing and roving capabilities on the lunar surface, ISRO stated. The mission also aimed to conduct scientific experiments to study the Moon’s surface composition, physical properties, and near-surface environment.

The spacecraft consisted of three main components: the Vikram lander, the Pragyan rover, and a propulsion module. After the successful landing, the propulsion module remained in lunar orbit and was later repurposed for Earth observation. According to a mission summary on Wikipedia, the propulsion module was shifted to a higher Earth orbit on November 22, 2023. The Vikram lander carried several scientific instruments, including the Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE), designed to measure temperature and thermal properties of the lunar surface, and the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA), which monitored seismic activity near the landing site. A Laser Retroreflector Array was also included to support studies of lunar dynamics. BBC reporting noted that the lander and rover together carried five scientific instruments.

The Pragyan rover, weighing 26 kilograms, was a six-wheeled robotic vehicle tasked with analyzing the chemistry of lunar soil and rocks. Its instruments included the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and the Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS). LIBS reportedly confirmed the presence of sulfur in the lunar surface near the south pole through in-situ measurements, according to mission data released by ISRO. The rover’s scientific payloads were designed to provide detailed analysis of the lunar regolith and contribute to a better understanding of the Moon’s geology.

Scientists have shown particular interest in the lunar south pole because of the potential presence of water ice in permanently shadowed craters. NASA and other space agencies have noted that these regions, due to their extremely low temperatures, may preserve ice deposits that could support future lunar exploration by providing resources such as oxygen, fuel, and drinking water. The Chandrayaan-3 mission was expected to improve knowledge of polar regolith properties, exosphere conditions, and lunar geology, according to ISRO statements.

The mission also sought to build on lessons learned from India’s earlier Chandrayaan missions, which included Chandrayaan-1, launched in 2008, and Chandrayaan-2, which attempted a lunar landing in 2019 but experienced a crash landing. Chandrayaan-3’s success is viewed as a step toward future lunar exploration initiatives, including planned international cooperation such as the India-Japan Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) mission.

Overall, Chandrayaan-3’s successful soft landing near the Moon’s south pole represents a significant advancement in India’s space exploration capabilities and contributes valuable scientific data to the global understanding of the lunar environment.