Chandrayaan-3

Current Context : The Pragyan rover, launched as part of India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission found crucial evidence bolstering the claim about the lunar surface being made up of magma.

• Pragyan’s landing site on the moon has been named Point Shiv Shakti.
• Pragyan also searched 23 sites around it in order to collect and test soil samples and measure seismic activity and atmospheric conditions.

ABOUT CHANDRAYAAN-3

• Chandrayaan-3 is an Indian lunar exploration mission developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• Aims to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, focusing on demonstrating the capabilities of lander and rover technology.
• Objective : to analyze the lunar surface composition, study its mineralogy, and look for water ice.
• It consists of a lander and a rover.
• Launched on July 14, 2023.
• Launch Vehicle: GSLV Mk III (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III) also known as LVM-3
• Landing: The successful soft landing occurred on August 23, 2023.
• Landing Site: Near the Moon’s south pole, a region of significant interest due to potential water ice deposits.

PREVIOUS MISSIONS:

• Chandrayaan-1 (2008) : India’s first lunar mission, which discovered water molecules on the Moon.
• Chandrayaan-2 (2019) : Included an orbiter, lander (Vikram), and rover (Pragyan). While the lander failed to achieve a soft landing, the orbiter continues to provide valuable data.