TIRUPATI: The 25-hour-30-minute countdown for the launch of India's third moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, has commenced. The anticipated launch is scheduled for 2:35pm on Friday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (SDSC-SHAR) in Tirupati district.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Thursday evening that the countdown was under way and the preparations were in full swing.
Chandrayaan-3 will be carried by India's heavy-lift rocket, the LVM3, which will blast off from the second launch pad at SDSC-SHAR. The official Twitter account of ISRO confirmed that the propellant-filling was currently in progress and the Mission Readiness Review has been completed, signifying the nod for the launch.
This mission follows the previous Chandrayaan-2, which encountered a technical glitch that prevented its successful landing on the moon in 2019. To ensure success this time, ISRO scientists have adopted new steps including the use of a new navigation system and a powerful propulsion module.
A successful soft-landing of Chandrayaan -3 would place India among the elite group of nations, including the US, China and the former Soviet Union that have, in the past, achieved this remarkable feat.
The upcoming lunar expedition consists of an indigenous lander module, propulsion module and a rover. The primary objective of Chandrayaan-3 is to develop and demonstrate new technologies necessary for interplanetary missions.
The lander possesses the capability to softly land at a designated lunar site and deploy the rover. The rover will conduct in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during its mobility. Both the lander and rover carry scientific payloads to conduct experiments on the moon.
Chandrayaan-3 will be launched as part of the fourth operational mission of the LVM3, ISRO's most powerful and heaviest launch vehicle. The LVM3 will be responsible for placing the integrated module in an Elliptic Parking Orbit (EPO) measuring 170 x 36,500 km.
The first stage of the rocket is powered by solid fuel, the second stage by liquid fuel, and the third and final stage consists of a cryogenic engine fuelled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
At the time of liftoff, the 642-tonne rocket will have a total propellant mass of 553.4 tonne.
Approximately 16 minutes into its flight, the LVM3 rocket will release the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft at an altitude of 179km. From there, the spacecraft will embark on its own moon journey, spanning around 3,84,000km.
The lander carried by the spacecraft is expected to make a soft-landing on the moon between August 23 and 24.
In a customary practice, ISRO officials visited the Lord Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala and the Goddess Chengalamma Parameswari Temple in Sullurpet on Thursday, ahead of the launch.
Carrying a miniature model of the rocket and spacecraft, the officials sought blessings from the deities at these two temples. Seeking the blessings of Lord Venkateswara and Goddess Chengalamma is an age-old tradition at ISRO before satellite launches in Sriharikota.
