Chandrayaan -3 makes a historic landing on the Moon.

Congratulations to ISRO and the team who worked on the Chandrayaan-3 mission. This is the proudest moment for all Indians. Chandrayaan-3 makes a successful landing on the south polar region of the Moon around 6.04 pm today (Wednesday), August 23, 2023. Rough terrain makes the South Pole landing difficult, but India has made history. The region's water ice could supply fuel, oxygen and drinking water for future missions.

The successful landing marks another milestone for India's space exploration, and will greatly contribute to lunar science and exploration insights. Though the ISRO's mission scientists programmed the landing a day prior, the last 20 minutes are considered critical and involve autonomous landing manoeuvres. Notably since 2012, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu has been supplying soil to ISRO for the Chandrayaan Mission. The soil of this region is similar to that of the lunar surface.

India is the fourth country in the world to achieve this incredible feat after the US, Soviet Union and China. Previous orbit missions, like Chandrayaan 1 (2008) indicate interesting possibilities on the Moon. The lunar surface is extremely cold, so anything trapped there will freeze and turn the area into a “time capsule” of sort.  Chandrayaan-2 mission had already been done in 2019 but crashed at 7.42 kilometres above the Moon's surface. The last 15 minutes is the crucial part of Vikram's lander that makes the soft landing on the Moon.

Chandrayaan 3's Lander 'Vikram' and rover 'Pragyan' play a crucial role. The lander is responsible for the touchdown at a specified lunar site and deploys the rover that will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during its mobility course. The critical manoeuvre during this last phase transfers the lander from a high-speed horizontal position to a vertical one.  ISRO Chairperson at the time of Chandrayaan-2, K. Sivan described the final phase as “15 minutes of terror” back then. During Chandrayaan-2, Vikram failed to switch from a horizontal to a vertical position and that led to the crash on the lunar surface.

In the final descent, the Vikram lander is controlled by the logic that has already been baked into its computers. ISRO chairperson, S Somanath said, “If the algorithms work well we should be able to do a vertical landing. If all sensors fail, if everything fails, it will still make a landing provided the propulsion system works well. This is how it has been designed. Even if two of the engines do not work this time, the lander will be able to land. It has been designed in such a way that it should be able to handle multiple failures."

Prime Minister Modi through virtual video expressed his happiness from South Africa. He said, “When we witness such historic moments, we Indians feel blessed. This is such a proud and memorable moment for India. We have overcome the obstacles that were in front of us. This will open doors of opportunities and India has made a significant leap in the space sector. We created history today and the whole country is in a celebratory mood. I congratulate the Chandrayaan team, ISRO and the various scientists who were part of this mission.”