Chandrayan 3 touching the lunar south pole is a creditable achievement of Isro. A soft lunar landing is by no means an easy task. There is scant atmosphere on the moon and its gravity is 1/6th of the gravity of the earth. Therefore, a safe descent is an extreme-precision event. The descent involves bringing the craft from horizontal to vertical position as it nears the lunar surface. They must fire the engines giving an upward thrust to the craft so as to slow down it, and avoid a free fall leading to a crash. All the cameras and sensors must work properly. There are craters on the south pole. Comparatively the equatorial landings are easier. There is rough terrain. Some areas are in perpetual darkness as the sunlight does not reach them. There a trenches. The temperatures are extreme — as low as – 250 degree centigrade. All this is not conducive for electronics. The decent is guided by algorithms and AI.
The achievement demonstrates India’s technological prowess. It also reaffirms the value of public-private co-operation. The lander and rover has been built by a consortium of private firms, in collaboration with Isro. The ground control systems too were a result of such collaboration.
There is private participation of space agencies at other places — NASA, Europe, Japan and Israel.
The cost effective execution of this project is also a remarkable feat.
The Artemis Accords (AA) from the US conceive colononisation on the moon. Space resources must be utilised safely and in a sustainable manner. This is to comply with Outer Space Treaty. There should global consensus on the commercial exploitation of the moon’s resources. India too has become a signatory to AA in June, 2023.
Chandrayan will analyse the soil and plasma density at the surface, study sub-surface temperature conductivity and the seismic conditions.
Isro already provides a wide range of commercial services, say launching of satellites of other countries.
It plays a role in India’s communication infrastructure. It provides key inputs for weather services, geographical and geo-mapping information.