ISRO Chandrayaan-3 mission: List of payloads and their objectives
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is looking forward to launching its third mission to the Moon, the Chandrayaan-3, on July 14. The upcoming mission is designed to explore the lunar south pole, a region that has received tremendous interest from scientists as it lies in permanent darkness. Chandrayaan-3 will be ferrying various scientific instruments for this purpose. Let's take a closer look at them.
Why does this story matter?
The excitement has steadily been growing over the past few weeks as Chandrayaan-3 is inching closer to launch. It is ISRO's second attempt to "soft-land" on the Moon. Its predecessor, Chandrayaan-2, which set out to do the same crashed during descent. The success of the upcoming lunar mission would make India only the fourth nation to accomplish landing and roving on the Moon's surface.
The mission has a lander, rover, and propulsion module
Chandrayaan-3 comprises a Propulsion Module (PM) and a Lander Module (LM). The latter houses a 26kg rover. In total, all the components measure 3,900kg. The mission will not carry an orbiter. The PM will serve as the communications relay satellite and use Chandrayaan-2's orbiter for backup. The PM will be responsible for transporting the LM to 100km in the lunar orbit.
The rover and lander will be equipped with scientific payloads
Chandrayaan-3's lander will then separate from the PM and dock near the Moon's south pole. It will be the first mission to do so. Former lunar missions have landed at lower altitudes. Followed by the "soft-landing," the rover will be deployed to carry out investigations on the lunar surface. Both the lander and rover will be equipped with scientific instruments for exploring the Moon.
Among the lander payloads is an instrument to detect moonquakes
The 1,752-kg lander will have four payloads, including an Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) that will scan for moonquakes. The onboard Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) can estimate the temperature of the Moon's surface. It is also ferrying a payload from NASA, called the LASER Retroreflector Array (LRA) to shed light on the dynamics of the Moon system.
Langmuir Probe can measure variations in plasma density on Moon
The lander's fourth payload, Langmuir Probe, will measure the density of plasma (ions and electrons) near the lunar surface and how it changes with time. "Similar measurements were made by the US Apollo and Chinese Chang'e missions when they landed nearer the Moon's equator, but this [Chandrayaan-3] will be the first analysis of the environment at one of the poles," per science journal Nature.
The rover will be carrying two payloads
The rover will pack two scientific instruments. One of them is the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) which can help determine the elemental composition of the lunar rocks and soil at the landing site. The other rover payload, called LASER Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS), can provide a qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis of the lunar surface and estimate the chemical composition.
The propulsion module will also be performing scientific investigations
The PM on Chandrayaan-3 will also perform investigations via its Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload. SHAPE will collect data based on the polarization of light reflected by Earth which will be used to look for exoplanets that exhibit similar characteristics. ISRO says this payload acts as a "value addition" and will start operating once the lander module has separated.
The mission will operate for 14 Earth days
Chandrayaan-3 will last for one lunar night or 14 Earth days. The mission is scheduled to launch atop an LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3) rocket at 2:35pm on Friday, from Sriharikota, located in Andhra Pradesh.
