Chandrayaan-3 mission: Why the south pole?

An illustration shows the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon’s surface

As anticipation grows for India's planned Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing on Wednesday, an expert delves into the fascinating world of Moon exploration. Dr T V Venkateswaran, a scientist at Vigyan Prasar, an autonomous organisation under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), and member of the public outreach committee of the Astronomical Society of India, explains the significance of the lunar south pole.

Water and ice

The lunar south pole has become a focal point for exploration due to its unique features and potential scientific value. It is believed to host a vast reservoir of water ice in permanently shadowed regions. The presence of water is of immense significance for future space exploration, as it can be converted into resources such as drinking water, oxygen and hydrogen for rocket fuel.

Lunar far side area captured on Saturday. Pics/PTI

This could revolutionise space travel by reducing the need to transport these resources from Earth, making long-duration missions more feasible. Also, the permanently sunlit area in the region has a temperature of around minus 50 to 10 degrees Celsius, which provide better chemical condition for the electronics onboard the rover and lander to work properly.

Solar power scope

The unique geography of the south pole also creates regions of perpetual sunlight, which can be harnessed for solar power. The terrain varies from rugged landscapes to relatively flat plains, offering a diverse range of scientific opportunities, explains Dr Venkateswaran.

Likely delay to avoid crash

ISRO has planned the soft landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft at 6.04 pm IST on August 23. However, ISRO Space Applications Centre Director Nilesh Desai said the landing could be postponed to August 27 if health parameters of the lander module are found to be "abnormal". "The lander will try to land on the Moon's surface from a height of 30 km on August 23, and its velocity at that time will be 1.68 km per second. Our focus will be on reducing that speed because Moon's gravitational force will also play its part. If we do not control that speed, there will be chances of a crash landing," he explained.

6.04 pm
Estimated time of landing on August 23

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