India has succeeded in making its way into the history of space flight in many ways. The Vikram lander of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully landed on the Moon, making the country’s first successful landing on the Moon’s surface. Thus, India became the fourth country to achieve this after the Soviet Union, USA and China. More importantly, it also managed to become the first country to land near the south pole of the Moon. This was a difficult target given the rough terrain, but important to attempts to find water ice. Other countries had previously only landed near the equator.
The landing took place four years after Chandrayaan-2’s failed attempt. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) achieved this with a “failure-based design” that included more backup systems, a larger landing area and software updates.
Vikram will be idle for hours to let the Moon dust settle. Once the area is cleared, the vehicle will be deployed to take photographs and collect scientific data. The lander and rover together have five instruments that aim to measure the characteristics of the Moon’s atmosphere, surface and tectonic activities. ISRO adjusted the landing time to the start of a Lunar day (about 28 Earth days) to maximize the amount of solar energy available for Vikram and Pragyaan.
The success of Chandrayaan-3 means national pride for India. The country is keen to become a major force in spaceflight and hopes to launch a space station around 2030. This landing also puts India ahead of other countries competing to land on the Moon, though not for the first time. Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed on the lunar surface just two days ago. The United Arab Emirates also wants to land on the Moon by 2024. The United States hopes to return humans to the Moon with the Artemis 3 mission in late 2025.
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