Chandrayaan 3- Exploring the dark side of the moon

On August 23, 2023 India made history by landing a rover on the south pole of the moon. Restricted by a low budget, India succeeded in their efforts at a moon landing. This is India’s first time ever landing a piece of equipment on the moon’s surface. The mission’s goal was to have a safe landing on the moon surface as well as to look into the ice at the southern pole of the moon. The rover’s job is to conduct experiments and see what the ice could possibly mean for humankind.

This was India’s second attempt at a moon landing after Chandrayaan 2 after its lander (Vikram) crashed into the moon’s surface. The Chandrayaan 2 mission was intended to study lunar topography, water ice and mineralogy. The Chandrayaan 3 mission is a massive achievement for ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) because of the amount of obstacles that they had to face during the building phase of Chandrayaan 3. For example, Avatar: the way of water, a sci-fi movie cost around Rs. 2939 crores. Chandrayaan 3, a real

science project, cost around Rs. 615 crores. The scientists at ISRO did a brilliant job figuring out how to develop something so complex with limited materials.

The rover itself will be conducting a series of scientific experiments which will reveal a lot about the moon's surface. The mission will also be helpful for scientists around the world to understand more about the moon and how it can provide resources and room for exploration. This also shows India’s technological capabilities as they become the fourth nation to complete a successful moon landing and the first to land on the South Pole.

The Indian Space programme has been going from strength to strengths in the last decade. India’s Mars mission in 2013 was a key example of this. ISRO implemented an innovative and successful method called the slingshot which made travelling to Mars possible without a

massive fuel cost. Plus, they were the first Asian nation to accomplish this. The previous Chandrayaan missions have also played a role in the world’s understanding of the moon. Chandrayaan 1 helped the world understand that there was frozen water on the moon’s surface as well as provide important information for scientists to understand the moon’s past. Chandrayaan 2 also helped develop a further understanding of the moon itself.

The Chandrayaan 3 moon landing makes me wonder how much further could go with space exploration if there weren’t restrictions on budget or available resources. Could nuclear power be used to fuel rockets in the future? What has science got in store for us in the future? Personally, I feel inspired looking at the effort and talent the Indian scientists have demonstrated. Surely, there is no barrier too great for mankind while we have the gift of intelligence!

Chandrayaan 3 has been a massive success for India, building on the failure of Chandrayaan 2. It will help scientists from all over the world develop a better understanding of the lunar surface. So congratulations India, on doing something no-one has ever done before. Let’s explore the dark side of the moon!