The countdown for the iconic as well as historic moment has begun when Chandryaan 3 will enter its final stage in order to successfully achieve its 'soft landing' on the South Pole of the moon. Amid a speculation over delay in landing, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Tuesday clarified that Chandrayaan 3 is on schedule and therefore it will try to attempt to land on the unexplored South Pole of the moon. The live coverage of Chandrayaan-3's landing on the lunar surface will be broadcasted on August 23, 2023, starting at 5:27 p.m. IST. The telecast will be available on ISRO’s multiple platforms, including the ISRO website, Youtube channel, Facebook page, and DD National TV Channel. Chandrayaan-3's Lander Module (LM) - lander Vikram and rover Pragyan - is scheduled to make a touchdown near the lunar south pole at 6.04 pm on Wednesday. Notably, PM Modi who is currently in South Africa for the 15th BRICS Summit will join the landing programme virtually. It is pertinent to mention here that after the failure of Russia's Luna 25, the buzz on Chandrayaan 3 is high with the world's media attention totally on ISRO's lunar mission. Success for Chandrayaan-3 will make India the fourth country to master the technology of soft-landing on the lunar surface after the US, China, and the erstwhile Soviet Union. Now, the question arises who are the brains involved in ISRO's Chandrayaan 3 mission? Let's know about them in brief-
S Somnath, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
S Somnath, the chairman of ISRO, whose name literal meaning is 'lord of the moon' will be etching his name in India's Space history after the success of Chandrayaan 3. S Somnath is an aerospace engineer who helped to design the rocket the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 or the Bahuballi rocket that lifted Chandrayaan-3 into orbit. Notably, after the failure of Chandryaan 2, it was Somnath who carried out his responsibility to make sure the Chandrayaan-3 satellite was fully tested before it was launched into orbit. ISRO Chief S Somnath is an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. Interestingly, S Somnath can speak Sanskrit and has acted in a Sanskrit film titled Yaanam as well.
@isro @narendramodi @jsaideepak @StringReveals @SadhguruJV
— Cosmic Shiva (@thoeunknown07) August 21, 2023
RESPECTED S. SOMNATH JI
Thank you sir for u & ur teams for true dedication flawless efforts toward OUR MAHAN BHARATA REALLY THANK YOU SIR for CHANDRAYAN 3 this is the movement of goosebumps for us pic.twitter.com/IpYAZOnyzN
Unnikrishnan Nair S, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, Thiruvananthapuram
Another one on the list is Unnikrishnan Nair S, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, Thiruvananthapuram. Unnikrishnan Nair is the chief of ndia's key facility for research on rocketry. Like Somnath, Unnikrishnan Nair is an aerospace Engineer. Notably, Unnikrishnan Nair is also heading India's other ambitious space program which will send astronauts into space for the time in its history. To be precise, Unnikrishnan Nair is heading the Gaganyaan program. Like the ISRO Chief, Nair is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, he was the first director of the Human Space Flight Center. Apart from being a scientist, he is also involved in writing short stories.
Veeramuthuvel P, Project Director, Chandrayaan-3 mission, UR Rao Satellite Center, Bengaluru
Another one on the list is Veeramuthuvel P who is the Project Director of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Veeramuthuvel is among the faces who have worked for the success of Chandrayaan 3 for the past 4 years. Not only this, Veeramuthuvel has also worked in Chandrayaan-2 and Mangalyaan missions. He has a Master of Technology degree from Chennai. Notably, Veera's knowledge and experience in Chandrayaan's 2 lander Vikram helped the scientists in making a much more robust Chandrayaan 3.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
— ISRO (@isro) August 21, 2023
Here are the images of
Lunar far side area
captured by the
Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC).
This camera that assists in locating a safe landing area -- without boulders or deep trenches -- during the descent is developed by ISRO… pic.twitter.com/rwWhrNFhHB
Kalpana K, Deputy Project Director, Chandrayaan-3 mission, UR Rao Satellite Center, Bengaluru
It is no hidden fact that ISRO is driven by many women scientists as well. Talking about women scientists, Kalpana K is the Deputy Project Director of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Apart from working on Chandrayaan 3, Kalpana has a vivid experience in working for Chandrayaan-2 and Mangalyaan missions
M Vanitha, Deputy Director, UR Rao Satellite Center, Bengaluru
Another one on the list is M Vanitha who is also the Deputy Director. Notably, Vanitha was a project director for the Chandrayaan-2 mission which failed to achieve its desired outcome. However, ISRO used her vivid knowledge as she is an electronics systems engineer and also was the first woman in India to lead a lunar mission. Vanitha is a graduate of Chennai's College of Engineering.
Chandryaan 3 Mission
It is pertinent to mention here that almost 1,000 engineers and scientists would have worked to get the nearly ₹ 700 crore mission up and running, however, there are a few names at the top whose work in the success of Chandrayaan 3 were immense. .The Chandrayaan-3 mission's lander is named after Vikram Sarabhai (1919–1971), who is widely regarded as the father of the Indian space program. India launched its Chandrayaan-3 mission six weeks back. The spacecraft, which uses rockets much less powerful than those used by the United States for its Apollo Missions in the 1960s and 1970s and pays homage to India's "frugal engineering" the nation's latest moon mission carries a price tag of $74.6 million, far lower than other countries.