Chandrayaan-3 vs Russia’s Luna-25: As Chandrayaan-3 entered its penultimate phase prior to next week’s soft impact on the lunar south pole, the race between the Indian spacecraft and the Russian spacecraft Luna-25 accelerated.
Friday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the Lander Module of Chandrayaan-3 had successfully descended to a slightly lower orbit as per the ‘deboosting’ schedule.
ISRO announced on August 17 that the Vikram lander module successfully separated from the propulsion module.
In contrast, Russia’s Luna-25 mission successfully reached the lunar orbit on August 16, according to a statement from the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
Roscosmos estimates that the Russian spacecraft will descend on the moon on Monday, two days before Chandrayaan-3.
While Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Russia successfully launched its first moon-landing spacecraft on August 11 using a Soyuz 2.1v rocket from the Vostochny spaceport.
Monday, Luna-25 will complete the voyage in 10 days, whereas Chandrayaan-3 required 38 days.
This is because Luna-25’s trajectory to the Moon is more direct than Chandrayaan-3’s. The Indian vessel is primarily guided by the gravitational pull of the Earth and moon.
Chandrayaan-3 vs Russia’s Luna-25: Both Luna 25 and Chandrayaan-3 score touchdowns
Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft adjusted its orbit on August 18 in preparation for its first touchdown attempt near the south pole of the moon on August 21, according to Roscosmos.
“Today at 09:20 Moscow time (0620 GMT), the automatic station’s propulsion system performed a 40-second orbit correction.” Its purpose is to create optimal conditions for the subsequent construction of a pre-landing orbit, according to a Roscosmos statement.
The Lander Module of Chandrayaan-3, which consists of the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover, will endure its second deboosting operation on August 20.
The initial deboost operation occurred on August 18.
The following day, on August 23, the lander will endeavour to land on the lunar surface. After the lander lands on the surface of the moon, the Pragyan rover will be rolled down, marking the commencement of 14 Earth Day-planned scientific exploration.
The disparate arrival times of the two missions are largely attributable to their respective mass and propellant efficiency.
The lift-off mass of Luna-25 is only 1,750 kilogrammes, substantially less than Chandrayaan-3’s 3,800 kilogrammes.
According to India’s space agency ISRO, this diminished mass permits Luna-25 to accelerate more efficiently.
Landing areas
Both missions intend to land near the Moon’s south pole, where no spacecraft has ever gone before. According to reports, although both missions aim to land near the Moon’s South Pole, the landing sites are not precisely in the polar region.
Chandrayaan-3’s landing site is approximately 68 degrees South latitude, while Luna 25’s is closer to 70 degrees South.
On the lunar surface, the actual distance between the two landing sites can be several hundred kilometres; therefore, both spacecraft must acquire distinct aspects of the lunar soil.
Over the course of a year, the Luna-25 mission will investigate the composition of the moon’s surface and the plasma and particles that make up its tenuous atmosphere.
Chandrayaan-3, on the other hand, is equipped with six payloads that will help ISRO comprehend the lunar soil and take photographs of Earth from the moon’s orbit.
Will the race be significant?
Chrisphin Karthick, a researcher at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bangalore, stated to PTI, “In the grand scheme of cosmic exploration, the order of arrival may not substantially alter the lunar landscape. Nevertheless, the knowledge acquired from each mission will increase our comprehension of the Moon’s history and potential. The value resides in the combination of our efforts.”
ISRO chief S Somanath stated that the lunar spacecraft Vikram from India’s third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, is capable of making a soft landing on the Moon’s surface on August 23 even if its sensors and two engines fail to function.
Both missions are anticipated to provide ground-breaking insights into the Moon’s composition, history, and potential as a resource-rich body, as the world eagerly watches their historic landings.
