After previous setbacks, India sets sights on lunar success with improved design and a failure-based approach.
“India’s third mission to the moon took off on Friday at 2:35 pm, aiming to accomplish what its predecessor couldn’t: a gentle landing on the lunar surface and extensive exploration with a rover. With the potential to make history as the fourth country to achieve this feat, India’s mission captures the attention of the electronics design and manufacturing industry.
Learning from past setbacks, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has implemented significant improvements in the design of the mission. The lander’s performance has been thoroughly tested under various conditions, addressing issues such as missed landing spots, electronics or sensor failures, and excessive velocity.
The spacecraft, launched on Friday, will gradually escape Earth’s gravity and embark on a 42-day journey to reach the moon. Upon arriving, a complex series of maneuvers will culminate in a powered descent by the lander carrying the rover. Scheduled for August 23 at lunar dawn, the landing site has been shifted to a location near the Southern pole, leveraging information provided by the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter.
Despite not carrying an orbiter this time, the payload weight has increased slightly, mainly due to modifications to ensure a safe landing. Isro chairperson S Somanath emphasized the failure-based approach taken for Chandrayaan-3, learning from the previous mission’s crash landing caused by higher-than-expected thrust from the lander’s engines.
To address the challenges encountered, several changes have been implemented. The landing area has been expanded, allowing for a more comprehensive safety margin. The lander has been equipped with more fuel, enabling it to reach alternate landing sites if necessary. The lander’s software has also been enhanced to rely on high-resolution images from Chandrayaan-2 for determining the landing location. At the same time, physical improvements such as sturdier legs and additional solar panels ensure a safer landing.
The mission carries four scientific payloads on the lander, focusing on studying lunar quakes, thermal properties of the lunar surface, changes in the plasma near the surface, and precise measurements of the Earth-moon distance. The rover carries two payloads to analyze the chemical and mineral composition of the lunar surface. Notably, the propulsion module will conduct a new experiment called SHAPE, examining reflected light to identify potentially habitable more minor planets.
With India’s third moon mission embarking on a quest for a soft landing and groundbreaking lunar exploration, the electronics design and manufacturing industry eagerly anticipates the outcome. The mission’s significant improvements and risk-mitigation strategies showcase Isro’s determination to conquer the challenges of lunar exploration and solidify India’s position among the elite group of nations capable of lunar soft landings.
