Chandrayaan-3: Here’s what you need to know

India boasts a significant heritage in the space domain thanks to our scientific community Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after the launch of Chandrayaan3 to the moon He added This extraordinary undertaking will bear the aspirations and ambitions of our nationIndias objective is to become the fourth nation to successfully accomplish a lunar landing following the footsteps of the United States the Soviet Union and China Moreover India seeks to achieve this milestone in the unexplored South Pole region of the moonHeres a breakdown of the key details about Chandrayaan3The Chandrayaan3 landing module is anticipated to touch down on the moons surface at 834 am Eastern time on Wednesday 604 pm in IndiaPresently the lander is in an elliptical orbit around the moon coming as close as roughly 15 miles above the lunar surface At approximately 814 am Eastern time on Wednesday the spacecraft will ignite its engines to exit its orbit and commence a descent towards the surface The engines will also help control its descent for a gentle landingThe Indian Space Research Organization ISRO responsible for the nations space program will offer a live broadcast from the mission control room in Bengaluru The live stream will be available on ISROs YouTube channel and website starting at 750 am Eastern timeChandrayaan3 lunar landing live updates Im confident about success of Chandrayaan3 says former ISRO directorThe term Chandrayaan translates to moon craft in Hindi Aside from the propulsion module that placed the spacecraft in lunar orbit the landing module comprises the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover both aimed at landing in the moons south polar region This is an unmanned mission no astronauts are on boardThe chosen landing date of August 23 aligns with the sunrise at the landing site The mission is set to conclude two weeks later coinciding with sunset While on the moons surface the solarpowered lander and rover will employ various instruments to conduct measurements related to thermal seismic and mineralogical aspectsHere are other details of the landing attemptIndias Chandrayaan3 is an uncrewed lunar exploration mission aimed at achieving a successful landing on the moons surfaceThe mission follows Indias previous attempt Chandrayaan2 which ended in a crash almost four years agoThe landing is significant because it targets an area of the moons southern pole that hasnt been explored beforeThe landing module consists of the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover both of which are designed for exploring the moons south polar regionChandrayaan3s success takes on added importance due to a recent failed lunar landing attempt by Russias Luna25 missionIndias space program is a source of national pride and reflects the countrys ambitions as a rising geopolitical powerThe missions success would make India the fourth country to achieve a moon landing after the United States Soviet Union and ChinaIndias space exploration efforts align with its diplomatic push for a leadership role on the global stage and successful missions bolster its image as a technological powerhouse