Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3 (/ˌtʃʌndrəˈjɑːn/ CHUN-drə-

YAHN) is the third mission in the
Chandrayaan programme, a series of
lunar-exploration missions developed by
the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO).[7] Launched on 14 July 2023, the
mission consists of a lunar lander named
Vikram and a lunar rover named Pragyan,
similar to those launched aboard
Chandrayaan-2 in 2019.
 Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3 Integrated Module

Mission type Lander · Rover

Operator ISRO

COSPAR ID 2023-098B (https://ns

sdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nm
 c/spacecraft/display.a
ction?id=2023-098B)

SATCAT no. 57320

Website Official website (http

s://www.isro.gov.in/C
handrayaan3.html)

Mission duration 1 month and 27 days

(elapsed)
Propulsion module:
≤ 3 to 6 months
(planned) 1 month
and 5 days
(elapsed) (since
orbit insertion)
Vikram lander: ≤ 14
days (planned)
 18 days (elapsed)
(since landing)
Pragyan rover: ≤ 14
days (planned)
18 days (elapsed)
(since deployment)

Spacecraft properties

Bus Chandrayaan

Manufacturer ISRO

Launch mass 3900 kg[1]

Payload mass Propulsion Module:

2148 kg
Lander Module
(Vikram): 1726 kg
 Rover (Pragyan) 26 kg
Total: 3900 kg

Power Propulsion Module:

758 W
Lander Module: 738 W
(WS with Bias)
Rover: 50 W

Start of mission

Launch date 14 July 2023, 09:05:17

UTC[2]

Rocket LVM3 M4

Launch site Satish Dhawan Space

Centre

Contractor ISRO

Moon orbiter
Orbital insertion 5 August 2023

Orbital parameters

Pericynthion altitude 153 km (95 mi)

Apocynthion altitude 163 km (101 mi)

Moon lander

Spacecraft Vikram lander

component

Landing date 23 August 2023, 12:33

UTC[3]

Landing site Shiv Shakti point

69.373°S 32.319°E (ht

tps://geohack.toolforg
e.org/geohack.php?pa
gename=Chandrayaan
-3&params=69.373_S
 _32.319_E_globe:moo
n) [4]

(between Manzinus C
and Simpelius N
craters)[5]

Moon rover

Landing date 23 August 2023

Distance driven 100 m (330 ft)[6]

Mission Insignia
Chandrayaan programme
Chandrayaan-3 was launched from Satish
Dhawan Space Centre on 14 July 2023.
The spacecraft entered lunar orbit on 5
August, and the lander touched down near
the lunar south polar region[8] on 23
August at 12:33 UTC, making India the
fourth country to successfully land on the
Moon, and the first to do so near the
region of the lunar south pole.[9][note 1] On 3
September the lander hopped and
repositioned itself 30–40 cm (12–16 in)
from its landing site.[13]

The Vikram lander and Pragyan rover were

set to sleep on 2 September and 4
September respectively due to depleting
solar power with sunset at the landing site.
The lander and rover are planned to start
working again at local sunrise on
September 22.[14][15]

Background
On 22 July 2019, ISRO launched
Chandrayaan-2 on board a Launch Vehicle
Mark-3 (LVM3) launch vehicle consisting
of an orbiter, a lander and a rover.[16] The
lander was scheduled to touch down on
the lunar surface on 6 September 2019 to
deploy the Pragyan rover. The lander lost
contact with mission control, deviated
from its intended trajectory while
attempting to land near the lunar south
pole, and crashed.[17][18]

The lunar south pole region holds

particular interest for scientific
exploration. Studies show large amounts
of ice there. Mountainous terrain and
unpredictable lighting protect the ice from
melting, but they also make landing
scientific probes there a challenging
undertaking. The ice could contain solid-
state compounds that would normally
melt under warmer conditions elsewhere
on the Moon—compounds which could
provide insight into lunar, Earth, and Solar
System history. For future crewed
missions and outposts, ice could also be a
source of drinking water and of hydrogen
for fuel and oxygen.[19][20]

The European Space Tracking network

(ESTRACK), operated by the European
Space Agency (ESA), and Deep Space
Network operated by Jet Propulsion
Laboratory (JPL) of NASA are supporting
the mission.[21] Under a new cross-support
arrangement, ESA tracking support could
be provided for upcoming ISRO missions
such as those of India's first human
spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, and
the Aditya-L1 solar research mission. In
return, future ESA missions will receive
similar support from ISRO's own tracking
stations.[22]

Objectives
ISRO's mission objectives for the
Chandrayaan-3 mission are:

1. Engineering and implementing a

lander to land safely and softly on the
surface of the Moon.
2. Observing and demonstrating the
rover's driving capabilities on the
Moon.
3. Conducting and observing
experiments on the materials
available on the lunar surface to
 better understand the composition of
the Moon.[23]

Spacecraft

Design

Chandrayaan-3 comprises three main

components: a propulsion module, lander,
and rover.
Chandrayaan-3 encapsulated within LVM3's
payload fairing
 Chandrayaan-3 integrated components

Propulsion module

The propulsion module carries the lander

and rover configuration to a 100-kilometre
(62 mi) lunar orbit. It is a box-like structure
with a large solar panel mounted on one
side and a cylindrical mounting structure
for the lander (the Intermodular Adapter
Cone) on top.[24][25]

Propulsion module

Lander

The Vikram lander is responsible for the

soft landing on the Moon. It is also box-
shaped, with four landing legs and four
landing thrusters capable of producing 800
newtons of thrust each. It carries the rover
and various scientific instruments to
perform on-site analysis.[26][27] The lander
has four variable-thrust engines with slew
rate changing capabilities, unlike
Chandrayaan-2's lander, which had five,
with the fifth one being centrally mounted
and capable only of fixed thrust. One of
the main reasons for Chandrayaan-2's
landing failure was attitude increase during
the camera coasting phase. This was
removed by allowing the lander to control
attitude and thrust during all phases of
descent. Attitude correction rate is
increased from Chandrayaan-2's 10°/s to
25°/s with Chandrayaan-3. Additionally, the
Chandrayaan-3 lander is equipped with a
laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV) to allow
measuring attitude in three
directions.[28][29] The impact legs have
been made stronger compared to
Chandrayaan-2 and instrumentation
redundancy has been improved. It will
target a more precise 16 km2 (6.2 sq mi)
landing region based on images previously
provided by the Orbiter High-Resolution
Camera (OHRC) onboard Chandrayaan-2's
orbiter. ISRO improved the structural
rigidity, increased polling in instruments,
increased data frequency and
transmission, and added additional
multiple contingency systems to improve
lander survivability in the event of failure
during descent and landing.[30][29]

Lander

Rover

The Pragyan rover is a six-wheeled vehicle

with a mass of 26 kilograms (57 pounds).
It is 917 millimetres (3.009 ft) x 750
millimetres (2.46 ft) x 397 millimetres
(1.302 ft) in size.[31] The rover is expected
to take multiple measurements to support
research into the composition of the lunar
surface, the presence of water ice in the
lunar soil, the history of lunar impacts, and
the evolution of the Moon's
atmosphere.[32][8]
 Pragyan rover

Payloads

On lander

Chandra's Surface Thermophysical

Experiment (ChaSTE) will measure the
thermal conductivity and temperature of
the lunar surface.
Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity
(ILSA) will measure the seismicity
around the landing site.
Langmuir Probe (LP) will estimate the
near-surface plasma density over
time.[33]
 Chandra's Surface Thermophysical
Experiment (ChaSTE)

Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA)

 Langmuir Probe (RAMBHA-LP)

On rover

An alpha particle X-ray spectrometer

(APXS) will derive the chemical
composition and infer the mineralogical
composition of the lunar surface.
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
(LIBS) will determine the elemental
composition (Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Fe) of
lunar soil and rocks around the lunar
landing site.[33]

Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APSX)

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope

(LIBS)
On the propulsion module

Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet

Earth (SHAPE) will study spectral and
polarimetric measurements of Earth
from the lunar orbit in the near-infrared
(NIR) wavelength range (1–
1.7 μm).[24][25]

Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet

Earth (SHAPE)
Mission profile

Animation of Chandrayaan-3

Around the Earth – Orbit raising phase Around the Earth

Around the Moon

Chandrayaan-3's Path · Earth · Moon

Launch

LVM3 M4, Chandrayaan-3 –

Launch vehicle lifting off
from the second launch pad
of SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota

Chandrayaan-3 was launched aboard an

LVM3-M4 rocket on 14 July 2023, at 09:05
UTC from Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Second Launch Pad in Sriharikota, Andhra
Pradesh, India, entering an Earth parking
orbit with a perigee of 170 km (106 mi) and
an apogee of 36,500 km (22,680 mi).
Orbit

After a series of earth bound manoeuvres

that placed Chandrayaan-3 in a trans-lunar
injection orbit,[34][35][36] ISRO performed a
lunar-orbit insertion (LOI) on 5 August,
successfully placing the Chandrayaan-3
spacecraft into an orbit around the Moon.
The LOI operation was carried out from the
ISRO Telemetry, Tracking, and Command
Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.[37][38]

On 17 August, the Vikram lander separated

from the propulsion module to begin the
last phase of the mission.[39]
Landing

Image of Chandrayaan-3 Lander as

captured by OHRC camera aboard
Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter

Chandrayaan-3 Lander on the Moon

Pragyan roll out

On 23 August 2023, as the lander

approached the low point of its orbit, its
four engines fired as a braking manoeuvre
at 30 kilometres (19 mi) above the Moon's
surface. After 11.5 minutes, the lander
was 7.2 km (4.5 miles) above the surface;
it maintained this altitude for about 10
seconds, then stabilized itself using eight
smaller thrusters and rotated from a
horizontal to a vertical position while
continuing its descent.

It then used two of its four engines to slow

its descent to roughly 150 metres (490 ft);
it hovered there for about 30 seconds and
located an optimal landing spot before
continuing downward and touching down
at 12:33 UTC.[26][40]
Stages of Chandrayaan-3 deployment and flight
Stage and Date/ LAM burn Orbital
Orbit References
sequence Time (UTC) time period

170 km
Eart h orbit : × 36,500 km
14 July 2023 — —
Launch (110 mi
× 22,680 mi)

173 km
Eart h bound × 41,762 km [41][42]
15 July 2023 — —
maneuvers: 1 (107 mi
× 25,950 mi)

226 km
Eart h bound × 41,603 km [41][43]
17 July 2023 — —
maneuvers: 2 (140 mi
× 25,851 mi)

228 km
Eart h bound × 51,400 km [44]
18 July 2023 — —
maneuvers: 3 (142 mi
× 31,938 mi)

233 km
Eart h bound × 71,351 km [41][45]
20 July 2023 — —
maneuvers: 4 (145 mi
× 44,335 mi)

236 km
Eart h bound × 127,603 km [46]
25 July 2023 — —
maneuvers: 5 (147 mi
× 79,289 mi)

288 km
Trans-lunar × 369,328 km [47]
31 July 2023 — —
inject ion (179 mi
× 229,490 mi)
[48]
Lunar bound 5 August 2023 1,835 s 164 km Approx. 21 h
maneuvers:1 (30.58 min) × 18,074 km (1,300 min)
(Lunar orbit (102 mi
insert ion) × 11,231 mi)

170 km
Lunar bound × 4,313 km [49]
6 August 2023 — —
maneuvers: 2 (106 mi
× 2,680 mi)

174 km
Lunar bound [50]
9 August 2023 — × 1,437 km —
maneuvers:3
(108 mi × 893 mi)

Lunar bound 150 km × 177 km [51]

14 August 2023 — —
maneuvers:4 (93 mi × 110 mi)

Lunar bound 153 km × 163 km [52]

16 August 2023 — —
maneuvers:5 (95 mi × 101 mi)

Lander deorbit 113 km × 157 km [53]

18 August 2023 — —
maneuvers: 1 (70 mi × 98 mi)

Lander deorbit 60 s 25 km × 134 km [54]

19 August 2023 —
maneuvers: 2 (1.0 min) (16 mi × 83 mi)
[3]
Landing 23 August 2023 TBC — —

Rover [3]
23 August 2023 — — —
deployment
 The Moon photographed by the Lander
Position Detection Camera (LPDC) aboard
Chandrayaan-3 lander on 15 August 2023
View from the Lander Imager Camera-1 (LI-1)
on 17 August 2023 just after the separation
of the Chandrayaan-3 Lander Module from
the Propulsion Module

Chandrayaan-3 orbital manoeuvre

Surface operations

After landing near the Moon's south pole

region, Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander
deployed the Pragyan rover to explore the
cratered surface, using integrated cameras
to send back videos of its environment,
and started working on the research
objectives planned for a two-week stay on
the Moon.[55]

The first video of the rover, posted on 25

August 2023, showed it leaving the Vikram
lander on a ramp and driving onto the
Moon's surface. ISRO also shared video
footage from the lander as it approached
the landing site, kicking up dust as it
touched down on the surface. ISRO wrote
afterwards that the rover's two scientific
instruments had been turned on and that it
had moved eight meters.[56]

A 4-metre-diameter (13 ft) crater, as

photograhed by the Navigation
camera onboard the rover.

On 26 August, ISRO posted a new video of

the rover driving away, moving almost out
of the lander's sight.[57] On 27 August, ISRO
published two pictures taken by the rover
three metres (9.8 ft) from the edge of a
large crater.[58]

On 3 September, the rover was put into

sleep mode after it had completed all of
its assignments. Its batteries were
charged and receiver left on, according to
ISRO, in preparation for the impending
lunar night.[59] "The rover's payloads are
turned off and the data it collected has
been transmitted to the Earth via the
lander", the statement said. Chandrayaan-
3's lander and rover were expected to
operate only for one lunar daylight period,
or 14 Earth days, and the on-board
electronics were not designed to
withstand the −120 °C (−184 °F) nighttime
temperatures on the Moon.[60] If the rover
and lander were to survive the lunar night,
the mission is planned to be extended for
further science operations.

Vikram fired its engines for a brief 'hop' on

the lunar surface on 3 September,
ascending 40 cm (16 in) off the lunar
surface and translating a similar distance
laterally across the surface. The test
demonstrated capabilities to be used in
potential future sample return missions.
The instruments and rover deployment
ramp were retracted for the hop and
redeployed afterwards.[61]
Mission life

Propulsion module: Carries lander and

rover to 100-by-100-kilometre (62 mi
× 62 mi) orbit, with operation of
experimental payload for up to six
months.[62]
Lander module: one lunar daylight period
(14 Earth days)[62]
Rover module: one lunar daylight period
(14 Earth days).[62]

Team
ISRO Chairperson: S. Somanath[63]
Mission Director: S. Mohanakumar[64]
 Associate Mission Director: G.
Narayanan[65]
Project Director: P. Veeramuthuvel[66]
Deputy Project Director: Kalpana
Kalahasti[67]
Vehicle Director: Biju C. Thomas[68]

Funding
In December 2019, ISRO requested the
initial funding of the project, amounting to
₹75 crore (US$9.4 million), out of which
₹60 crore (US$7.5 million) would be for
meeting expenditure towards machinery,
equipment, and other capital expenditure,
while the remaining ₹15 crore
(US$1.9 million) was sought for operating
expenditure.[69] Amit Sharma, CEO of an
ISRO vendor, said, "With local sourcing of
equipment and design elements, we are
able to reduce the price considerably."[70]

Confirming the existence of the project,

ISRO's former chairman K. Sivan stated
that the estimated cost would be around
₹615 crore (equivalent to ₹721 crore or
US$90 million in 2023).[71][72][73]

Results
The Associated Press, while commenting
on the success of the mission, said, "The
successful mission showcases India's
rising standing as a technology and space
powerhouse and dovetails with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's desire to project
an image of an ascendant country
asserting its place among the global
elite."[74]

Temperature variation

ISRO also released data from the

observations made by ChaSTE (Chandra's
Surface Thermophysical Experiment), one
of the four instruments present on the
lander module. ChaSTE was designed to
study the heat conductivity of the Moon's
surface and measure the differences in
temperatures at different points on and
below the surface, with the overall
objective of creating a thermal profile of
the Moon.

The graph of temperature variation

across the lunar topsoil at a point in
the solar polar region, as measured
by the ChaSTE instrument.

The first set of data released by ISRO

showed a very sharp difference in
temperatures just above and below the
surface of the Moon. A graphical plot put
out by ISRO showed that while
temperatures on the surface were over
50 °C (122 °F), they dropped to nearly
−10 °C (14 °F) just a few millimetres below
the surface. The measurements suggested
that the topsoil of the lunar surface did not
conduct heat very well, and insulated the
sub-surface from heat.

These measurements were consistent with

what is known about the thermal profile of
the Moon from previous expeditions and
experiments. But this was the first direct
measurement of temperatures of the
topsoil and the subsoil near the south
pole.[75]
ISRO scientist BH Darukesha said the high
range of 70-degree-Celsius (158-degree-
Fahrenheit) temperature near the surface
was "not expected".[76]

Detection of sulfur

On 29 August, ISRO reported that the laser-

induced breakdown spectroscope (LIBS)
instrument onboard the Pragyan rover has
"unambiguously" confirmed the presence
of sulfur in the lunar surface near the
south pole, through "first-ever in-situ
measurements".[77][78] The presence of
sulfur on the Moon has been known
before;[79] however, it was detected for the
first time at the south pole by the rover.[80]

Noah Petro, a project scientist at NASA,

while speaking to the BBC, stated that
while sulfur has been known to be in the
lunar regolith from Apollo program
samples, he described Pragyan's findings
as a "tremendous accomplishment".[81]

Apart from sulfur, the rover also detected

other elements including aluminium (Al),
calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr),
titanium (Ti), manganese (Mn), silicon (Si),
and oxygen (O).[82] The agency said the
search for hydrogen (H) is also
underway.[83]

Pragyan rover detected elements

present on the Moon

Plasma measurement

On 31 August, ISRO released plasma

density data from the RAMBHA Instrument
aboard the Vikram lander. Initial
assessments reported relatively low
plasma densities above the lunar surface
varying from 5 to 30 million electrons per
m3. The evaluation pertains to early stages
of the lunar day. The probe aims to explore
the changes in the near-surface plasma
environment throughout the duration of the
lunar day.[84]

Seismic measurements

On the same day, ISRO released data from

the ILSA payload on the lander, providing
vibration measurements of the rover
movement on 25 August, and a presumed
natural event on 26 August. The cause of
the latter event is a subject of
investigation.[85]
Lunar water

John Bridges, a professor of planetary

science at the University of Leicester,
UK,[86] told New Scientist that due to the
low pressure on the Moon it would be
"unlikely" for Chandrayaan-3 to find liquid
water near to the surface – even in areas
where the temperature was above freezing
point so water would not be trapped in ice
– because it would boil away, although at
lower depths the pressure could rise
enough to allow liquid water. However, he
also added that it's "too early" to interpret
the readings from Chandrayaan-3. "But it's
fantastic they're getting data", Bridges
said. "You can't help comparing it to
certain other space agencies; engineers
are just getting on now and doing it.
They're sort of overtaking Russia", he
concluded.[87]

Domestic reactions
Congratulating the ISRO team behind the
successful Chandrayaan-3 mission at ISRO
Telemetry, Tracking and Command
Network in Bengaluru, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi announced that the
touchdown point of the Vikram lander
would henceforth be known as Shiv Shakti
point.[88] He further declared 23 August,
the day the Vikram lander landed on the
Moon, as National Space Day.[89][90]

ISRO chief S Somnath exclaimed "India is

on the Moon" after Chandrayaan-3
successfully touched down on the surface
of the Moon.[91] "We learnt a lot from our
failure and corrected it. It's now 14 days of
work and we have to conduct
experiments," he told India Today.[92]

P Veeramuthuvel, the Project Director of

the mission said, "It's a great moment of
happiness. On behalf of the team it gives
me immense satisfaction on achieving this
goal as the Project Director of the mission.
The entire mission operations right from
launch till landing happened flawlessly as
per the timeline".[93] S. Mohana Kumar, the
Mission Director said that Chandrayaan-3
was a 'team effort', and that the equipment
suppliers played a key in achieving the
milestone by delivering the mission critical
consignments in a timely manner.[94]

Meanwhile, former ISRO chief K Sivan,

under whose tenure the Chandrayaan-2
was launched said, "We are really excited
to see this grand success. For this, we
have been waiting for the last four years.
This success is sweet news for us and for
the entire nation."[95]
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition,
also celebrated Chandrayaan-3's success,
calling it a result of "tremendous ingenuity
and hard work" by the country's scientific
community. "Since 1962, India's space
program has continued to scale new
heights and inspire generations of young
dreamers," he posted on X.[96]

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal too,

congratulated the scientists of ISRO on the
successful landing and termed it a
"historic" moment. "This is historical. It's a
significant achievement for the country. It's
a matter of pride for all of us. The success
of Chandrayaan-3 is a result of the hard
work of all citizens, ISRO scientists,
engineers, and employees.
Congratulations to everyone involved.
Bharat Mata ki jai.", he posted on X.[97]

DY Chandrachud, the Chief Justice of India

hailed the landing as a "historic
achievement" and congratulated ISRO on
the feat. "It is with immense pride as a
citizen of our great nation that I witnessed
the remarkable landing of Chandrayaan-3
on the Moon today," he said. "It is all the
more significant because India is the only
nation to have achieved the lunar landing
on the south pole of the Moon. This will
help new avenues and scientific research
and discovery. Truly, this lunar landing
represents a milestone in the onward
march of our nation," he added.[98]

See also
Aditya-L1 – Indian solar observation
mission
Gaganyaan – Indian crewed spacecraft
project
Indian Human Spaceflight Programme
Indian Martian Exploration Programme
Venus Orbiter Mission – Indian Venus
exploration mission