Chandrayaan 3 LIVE Updates: Vikram Lander successfully landed near the south pole of the Moon on Wednesday, making India the first nation to achieve this feat. Only the United States, China, and the former Soviet Union had previously accomplished this feat.
Following the mission’s success, the nation erupted in celebration, with everyone recalling former chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation K Sivan’s emotional breakdown four years prior, when Chandrayaan 2’s soft landing attempt in September 2019 had failed.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission: India Joins Elite Moon Landing Club
India is the first nation to deploy a spacecraft in uncharted territory near the lunar south pole, thanks to the success of this mission. In fact, India is the fourth nation in history to accomplish a gentle landing on the Moon, following the United States, the Soviet Union, and China.
Shortly after the Vikram lander landed and the space agency evaluated its health, dust settled on the lunar surface and the Pragyan rover emerged from the lander. The Chandrayaan-3 mission’s 14 days of scientific observations have commenced. ISRO will work on an autonomous path planning exercise that could aid future Moon exploration, according to ISRO chief S. Somanath.
ISRO chief S Somanath discusses how the space agency will proceed with obtaining the first data from the vicinity of the lunar south pole.
ISRO chairman S. Somanath stated in an interview that the Aditya L1 solar observation mission is set for launch in September. Gaganyaan, India's first crewed space mission, is still a work in progress. As early as October, the space agency will conduct a mission to demonstrate the crew module's effectiveness and personnel escape capabilities, according to Somanath.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos took to his Instagram Threads platform and wrote, “Root for India! Good luck, Chandrayaan-3”. On the other hand Elon Musk too posted celebratory messages from his Twitter account. Nesthink posted on X and wrote, “Kinda crazy when you realise India's budget for Chandrayaan-3 ($75 million) is less than the film Interstellar ($165 million).” Responding to the tweet, Musk wrote, “Good for India,” with a tricolour emoji.
As per India Today, ISRO is not going to change the Chandrayaan-3 landing schedule and the Lander Module ‘Vikram’ is set to land today.
This highly anticipated event will be broadcast live on August 23, starting at 5:20 PM IST, and can be accessed through various platforms, including the ISRO website, its YouTube channel, the agency’s Facebook page, and DD National TV channel.
Chandrayaan-3: Singapore's High Commissioner HC Wong prayed for the lunar mission from India to be successful.
ISRO's ambitious third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3's Lander Module (LM) is scheduled to touch down on the lunar surface on Wednesday evening, making India the fourth nation to do so and the first to reach the uncharted south pole of Earth's only natural satellite. The LM, consisting of the lander (Vikram) and rover (Pragyan), is scheduled to land near the south polar region of the Moon at 6:04 p.m. on Wednesday. "The mission is on schedule. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing. The Mission Operations Complex (MOX) is buzzed with energy & excitement!" ISRO said on Tuesday, also sharing visuals of the moon captured by cameras on the lander.
The Lander is capable of landing at a designated lunar location and deploying the Rover, which will conduct in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during its mobility.
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath announced that the landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon will be broadcast in all state-run schools. For one hour in the evening, every school will be open for tours.
On Monday, the chief of Russia's space agency stated that the Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after its engines failed to shut down properly. He blamed the mishap on the country's decades-long hiatus from lunar exploration. General Director of Roscosmos Yury Borisov stated that the spacecraft's engines were activated over the weekend to place Luna-25 into a "pre-landing orbit," but failed to shut down correctly, causing the lander to crash onto the moon.
The unmanned Luna-25 was scheduled to descend on Monday with the goal of becoming the first spacecraft to touch down on the moon's south pole, where scientists believe there may be significant reserves of frozen water and precious elements.
Anand Dubey, leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), has organized a havan at the Chandramauleshwar Shiv Mandir in Mumbai to commemorate the successful moon landing of Chandrayaan-3 on August 23.
After Chandrayaan-2's failed attempt at a soft landing on the Moon in 2019, ISRO officials have planned a better version of it – Chandrayaan-3 – with all the previous stages in place leading to a safer landing on the Moon.
The ISRO team stated that the intended landing may be postponed if conditions are "unfavorable," and the backup date of August 27 has been set.