How important India landing on the moon actually is

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How important India's landing on the moon actually is!

Sophia Xu
Updated: August. 27, 2023

India has achieved a remarkable feat by successfully landing its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft near the moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023. This makes India the first country to reach that part of the moon’s surface, which is largely unexplored and holds great scientific potential 123.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission was India’s second attempt at a lunar landing, after the Chandrayaan-2 lander crashed in September 2019 due to a software glitch. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft consisted of an orbiter, a lander named Vikram (Sanskrit for “valor”), and a rover named Pragyan (Sanskrit for “wisdom”). The spacecraft was launched on July 14, 2023, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, using a LVM3 rocket 45.

The spacecraft took about a month to reach the moon, orbiting the Earth several times to gain speed before embarking on its lunar trajectory. The landing was a complex and delicate maneuver, requiring the lander to slow down from 3,730 miles per hour to nearly zero and turn from a horizontal to a vertical position. The lander successfully touched down at 8:33 am ET (6:03 pm IST) near the lunar south pole, an area that covers about 10% of the moon’s surface 456.

The landing was greeted with jubilation and pride by millions of Indians, who watched the live broadcast of the historic event on television and social media. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the nation for achieving this milestone, calling it a “victory cry of a new India” 125.

Soon after landing, the lander deployed the rover Pragyan, which rolled out on a ramp and began exploring its surroundings. The rover is expected to operate for one lunar day (about 14 Earth days), collecting data and images of the lunar terrain, minerals, and water ice. The orbiter will continue to circle the moon for at least a year, providing support and communication for the lander and rover 45.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission is expected to provide valuable insights into the origin and evolution of the moon, as well as its potential for future human exploration and habitation. The lunar south pole is of particular interest because it is thought to harbor large amounts of water ice in permanently shadowed craters, which could be used for rocket fuel and life support. The south pole also offers more sunlight than other regions of the moon, which could be useful for solar power generation 45.

India has joined an elite club of spacefaring nations that have landed on the moon, after Russia, the U.S., and China. India is also the first country to land on one of the moon’s poles, demonstrating its technological prowess and ambition in space exploration. The Chandrayaan-3 mission is a testament to India’s scientific spirit and vision for the future.