With a quick formal review of the programme having been completed by Isro chairman S Somanath earlier this month, the project team is burning the midnight oil to make the launch possible this year.“We are trying to launch it this year, but we will take a final call on the launch schedule later. A lot of tests that were pending are now being carried out. One major test would be using a hanging condition. For Chandrayaan-2 we had done this at Mahendragiri, where the landing experiment was simulated. For Chandrayaan-3 we will be doing the same at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (SDSC-SHAR),” Somanath told TOI.For this test a unit almost similar to the lander — the propulsion system — will be used to study nominal and other performances. The hardware is already at the spaceport in Sriharikota and Isro is preparing for the test.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is launching two pioneering scientific spacecraft this year, one to study the Sun, and one to land on the Moon – the nation’s first soft landing on another celestial body.ESA’s global deep-space communication antennas will provide essential support to both missions every step of the way, tracking the spacecraft, pinpointing their locations at crucial stages, transmitting commands and receiving ‘telemetry’ and valuable science data.
However, Chandrayaan-3 is expected to be pushed to the next year even as consistent testing of various systems continues to happen. “The list of tests is long and we do not want to compromise on anything. It is unlikely that we launch Chandrayaan-3 this year given that we have specific windows to do it,” Somanath said.
About Chandrayaan-3, Somanath said currently a lot of tests were going on and added that "this time we are not in a hurry to go to the moon.""This time we want to make sure we land on the moon.""Currently the tests on lander propulsion and lander systems are underway. We want to make it very rugged. We have made the lander rugged. So some mass increase in lander has occurred. Its legs have been made stronger. Propulsion system needs to be rugged. Tests are going on at Mahendragiri for proving that. We want to look at the sensors. Last time we had doubts on sensors. So we are adding new sensors, helicopter sorties, experiments. Let us complete all tests and be clear," he further said.
The configuration consists of Propulsion Module and a Lander module with Rover accommodated inside the Lander.The propulsion module will carry the lander till lunar orbit insertion and deployment of lander. After that, the module will be utilised for science payload operations. The lander will land in the southern high latitudes on the Moon. The rover will roll out of the Lander and carryout in-situ observations.
SHAPE: Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth onboard Chandrayaan-3SHAPE is an experiment on-board Chandrayaan-3 Mission for the study of spectro- polarimetric signatures of the habitable planet Earth in the near-Infrared (NIR) wavelength range (1 – 1.7 μm). The spectro-polarimeter is mounted on the Propulsion Module (PM) of Chandrayaan-3 mission. The payload will observe full-disc Earth from a distant vantage point, Moon, in order to ‘mimic’ Earth-like Exo-planets.SHAPE is being designed with two packages: (1) Electro-optical Detector System (EODS) (2) Radio Frequency Source (RFS).
Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity Studies (ILSA)The major objective of ILSA payloads configured in Lander Module is recording, classifying and cataloguing lunar quakes during the mission period thereby studying the seismicity at the landing site. The instrument can also record vibrations due to artificial activities helping to study the transmission characteristics of the lunar top soil.The ground acceleration due to quakes in the lunar surface is expected to be less than a few milli-g amplitude. The overall dynamic range is covered by the fine range and coarse range sensors. The operating range for fine sensor is better than 100 nano-g Hz– 1⁄2 to 3 milli-g and that of coarse sensor is 150 μg to 500 milli-g. The instrument is communicating to Lander via 2m cable from its location of operation.
Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) Instrument for Chandrayaan-3‘Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS)’ – is a scientific payload developed at Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS), ISRO for the rover module of Chandrayaan-3 mission. The developed LIBS can perform in-situ elemental studies on any kind of planetary surface and the current version will aid in detection of 16 major elements (H, C, N, O, P, S, Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Cr, Fe, Mn and Ti) that are commonly found in major lunar-rock forming minerals. This instrument works on the principle of ‘laser induced plasma emission spectroscopy (LIPS)’ LIBS for Chandrayaan-3 Rover technique that use high peak power laser pulses for the surface ablation and intense plasma plume generation. LIBS payload is capable of recording emission signatures in the spectral region of 220 nm – 800 nm with a resolution of 0.35 nm/ pixel.
“Things are going well and all tests have yielded good results. On Sunday night we performed a hanging condition simulation to test low-gravity condition, engine firing and camera. All parametres were as planned. However, there are still a lot of tests to be carried out and the mission is only expected next year,” the official said, refraining from spelling out the specifics owing to the ongoing Parliament session.
Director, SDSC SHAR, press meet [15 Aug 2022]:[YouTube link]Missions planned for this year:GSLV Mk3 M2 - OneWebPSLV C54 - OceansatSSLV D2TV-D1 and TV-D2 CES for GaganyaanGSLV Mk2 F12Missions planned for next year:PSLV C55 - Commercial launchPSLV C56 - Aditya-L1GSLV Mk3 - OneWebGLSV Mk3 - Chandrayaan 3 (based on readiness)
Somanath S, Secretary DOS / Chairman ISRO, in an exclusive interaction told Financial Express Online said “We are targeting to accomplish the mission in the beginning of 2023. The Chandrayaan-3 mission is under development. It is going through a phase with many critical tests to ensure design ruggedness.”
Chandrayaan-3 Launch in June Next Year, Says ISRO Chairmanhttps://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/chandrayaan-3-launch-in-june-next-year-says-isro-chairman/articleshow/94992898.cmsQuoteISRO plans to launch Chandrayaan-3, its third mission to the moon, in June next year with a more robust lunar rover onboard which is crucial for future inter-planetary explorations. The space agency has also lined up the first test flight of the 'abort mission' for Gaganyaan, the country's first human spaceflight, early next year."Chandrayaan-3 (C-3) launch will be in June next year onboard the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3)," said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somnath while interacting with media personnel on the sidelines of an event here.
ISRO plans to launch Chandrayaan-3, its third mission to the moon, in June next year with a more robust lunar rover onboard which is crucial for future inter-planetary explorations. The space agency has also lined up the first test flight of the 'abort mission' for Gaganyaan, the country's first human spaceflight, early next year."Chandrayaan-3 (C-3) launch will be in June next year onboard the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3)," said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somnath while interacting with media personnel on the sidelines of an event here.
ISRO’s Krunal Joshi says the Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander mission is now scheduled for launch in July 2023. #ascendspace
Livemint, ISRO planning to launch second development SSLV flight in Feb: S Somanath [Jan 4]
"The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is almost ready. The orbiter, lander, and rover. But we are waiting for the right time to launch the mission, which is sometime in June. We will try to meet that launch window," [Somanath] said.
“Chandrayaan-3, we will have this year end or next year beginning.. ... Umamaheswaran, #isro HSFC Director
Turns out ISRO recently revealed some new renders of Chandrayaan-3 and have put up a page full of details on their website!
Chandrayaan-3 lander successfully underwent EMI/EMC test during Jan 31, 2023 - Feb 02, 2023, at U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru.EMI-EMC (Electro - Magnetic Interference/ Electro - Magnetic Compatibility) test is conducted for satellite missions to ensure the functionality of the satellite subsystems in the space environment and their compatibility with the expected electromagnetic levels. This test is a major milestone in the realization of the satellites.Chandrayaan-3 interplanetary mission has three major modules:the Propulsion module, Lander module, and Rover. The mission's complexity calls for establishing radio-frequency (RF) communication links between the modules.During the Chandrayaan-3 lander EMI/EC test, Launcher compatibility, Antenna Polarization of all RF systems, Standalone auto compatibility tests for orbital and powered descent mission phases, and Lander & Rover compatibility tests for post landing mission phase were ensured. The performance of the systems was satisfactory.