Chandrayaan-3 Launch: India cannot wait to march on Moon, says Jitendra Singh

In order to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and wandering on the lunar surface, Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-up mission to Chandrayaan-2.

India is set to launch Chandrayaan-3 from Sriharikota on July 14, positioning itself as the fourth country to successfully land a spacecraft on the lunar surface.

Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, expressed the urgency for India to keep pace with the advancements in space exploration under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

"After such a quantum rise in our Space expertise under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's regime, India can no longer wait to be left behind in its march to the Moon," said the minister.

According to Singh, Chandrayaan-3 is a continuation of Chandrayaan-2 and is intended to show off India's prowess in soft landing and roaming on the Moon's lunar surface.

Also read: Chandrayaan-3 mission launch on July 14; soft-landing on lunar surface expected on August 23 or 24

After Chandrayaan-3 successfully touches down on the lunar surface, the six-wheeled rover will emerge and spend the next 14 days performing tasks there, as per a govt statement.

As per the minister, the primary objectives of the Chandrayaan-3 mission are threefold, to demonstrate safe and soft landing on lunar surface, to demonstrate Rover roving on the moon, and, to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

Notably, the Chandrayaan-3 mission has equipment to investigate the elemental composition close to the landing site, lunar surface plasma environment, lunar seismicity, and the thermo-physical properties of the lunar regolith.

Also read: Chandrayaan-3: A look at the space mission that may launch on July 13

In March 2023, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully completed the essential tests that validated its capability to withstand the harsh vibration and acoustic environment that the spacecraft would encounter during its launch.

Somanath S, the chairman of ISRO and secretary of the Department of Space, told reporters that the lander would attempt a soft landing on August 23 or August 24. The mission life of the lander, according to ISRO authorities, is one lunar day, which is equivalent to 14 days on Earth.

(With inputs from agencies)