Chandrayaan 3 : Final countdown begins

The lander module of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, named Vikram, is scheduled to touch down on the lunar surface slightly after 6pm on Wednesday. A senior scientist from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) stated on Monday that the space agency will proceed with the landing only if the conditions on the day are favorable. If not, they will make another attempt on August 27.

On Sunday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that Chandrayaan-3 is poised to touch down on the lunar surface on August 23, 2023 (Wednesday), approximately at 6:04 pm. With a mere three days remaining, the spacecraft is on the cusp of reaching its ultimate objective – the southern pole of the moon.

The Director of ISRO’s Space Applications Centre, Nilesh M. Desai, mentioned that a decision will be made two hours before the landing based on the health of the lander module and the conditions on the Moon. If any factor appears unfavourable, the module will be landed on August 27 instead.

Where to watch Chandrayaan 3 landing live?

India’s third lunar mission can be streamed live from 5:27pm on August 23 at:

• ISRO website: Click here or search- https://isro.gov.in

• ISRO official YouTube channel: Click here or search- https://youtube.com/watch?v=DLA_64yz8Ss

• ISRO official Facebook channel: Click here or search- https://facebook.com/ISRO

• DD National TV

Despite this, Desai expressed confidence that Vikram will reach the lunar surface as originally planned. If the landing is successful, India will become the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, joining the United States, Russia, and China.

Furthermore, due to the recent failure of Russia’s Luna-25 mission, India has the opportunity to become the first country to achieve a soft landing on the moon’s south pole, which is Chandrayaan-3’s intended destination. The mission took off from ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre on July 14.

Madhupriya Dhanwate