Chandrayaan-3 Mission: Amid Race With Russia's Luna 25, India Confident Of Landing First On Moon's South Pole

New Delhi: Amid the race with Russia to the uncharted territory of the Moon, India on Thursday exuded confidence in its Chandrayaan-3 mission and claimed it will become the first country to land on the lunar south pole. Speaking to the media after the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft's lander module 'Vikram' successfully separated from the propulsion module, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that the exclusive findings and inputs of India's mission will benefit the entire world.

"Even though the USA and the then USSR had started their space journey long before us and America also landed a human being on the surface of the Moon in 1969, it was nevertheless our Chandrayaan that brought home the pictures of water on the surface of the Moon and startled the entire world," Singh, who is the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, said. 

India will become the fourth country in the world after the United States, Russia, and China, to land on the moon, and will be the only nation to touch the lunar south pole, he added.

India's Chandrayaan-3 to make land on moon on August 23

India is currently in a race with Russia, which is also gearing up for a lunar landing next week. While India's Chandrayaan-3 is expected to land on Moon's south pole on August 23, Russia's lunar spacecraft Luna-25 may make a soft landing on August 21.

Jitendra Singh said that the Indian Space Research Organisation's Chandrayaan-3 mission is designed in such a way that it will make a safe landing on August 23 between 5.30 PM to 6.00 PM. 

"Every Indian and the whole world is watching every moment and waiting with bated breath for the final outcome," he said. 

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:

‘Thanks for the ride, mate! ’
said the Lander Module (LM).

LM is successfully separated from the Propulsion Module (PM)

LM is set to descend to a slightly lower orbit upon a deboosting planned for tomorrow around 1600 Hrs., IST.

Now,  pic.twitter.com/rJKkPSr6Ct — ISRO (@isro) August 17, 2023

Giving credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for providing an enabling environment for space workers, Singh said, based on the current trajectory of growth, India's space sector could be a $ 1 trillion economy in the coming years.

The primary objectives of the ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission, the minister said, are to demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface; to demonstrate rover roving on the moon, and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

He also recalled that the first in the series of Chandrayaan -- Chandrayaan-1 -- is credited for having discovered the presence of water on the surface of the Moon. Chandrayaan-3, he said, will be operating at the next level.

ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 vs Russia's Luna 25

Chandrayaan-3, which is India's third mission in the lunar exploration series, started its journey on July 14 this year. It then successfully entered lunar orbit on August 5.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
 viewed by
Lander Imager (LI) Camera
on the day of the launch
&
 imaged by
Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera (LHVC)
a day after the Lunar Orbit Insertion

LI & LHV cameras are developed by SAC & LEOS, respectively https://t.co/tKlKjieQJS… pic.twitter.com/6QISmdsdRS — ISRO (@isro) August 10, 2023

On the other hand, Russian space agency Roscosmos launched Luna-25 on August 10 and is taking a more direct trajectory to the Moon, allowing it to attempt a landing on August 21.

 Back to the Moon!

 Russia launched a historic lunar mission, as its #Luna25 craft blasted off into space from #Vostochny cosmodrome without a hitch.

The probe is to help fine-tune Russian soft-landing technology, and conduct studies in the south pole of Earth's satellite. pic.twitter.com/rVC9YuQixr — Russia  (@Russia) August 11, 2023

One of the main reasons why the Russian spacecraft has accelerated more quickly is because it has a leaner lift-off mass of only 1,750 kilograms, significantly lighter than Chandrayaan-3's 3,800 kg.