Two key features of Chandrayaan-3 -- a Tamil connect and a scientific payload

Two key features that mark the Chandrayaan3 mission by ISRO apart from the planned softlanding on the lunar surface is its Tamil connection and the presence of the scientific payload onboard the propulsion moduleThe Tamil connection of the Chandrayaan missions refers to the three scientists from Tamil Nadu who helmed each of the crucial Moon missions of Indias space programmeMayilsamy Annadurai dubbed as the Moon Man of India led the maiden Chandrayaan mission in 2008 while M Vanitha led the Chandrayaan2 mission in 2019 and M Veeramuthuvel is heading the current Chandrayaan3 MissionAfter Chandrayaan3s liftoff on July 14 at 235 pm from Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota Veeramuthuvel rushed back to the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network ISTRAC in Bengaluru to track the rocketHe told the media that he would be able to speak to them only after ensuring that the landing module makes a softlanding on the lunar surface an exercise which is planned for August 23 at 604 PMBesides the people involved in the mission the other significant aspect of the Chandrayaan3 mission apart from demonstrating a safe soft landing on the surface of the Moon iquest is the SHAPE payload on the propulsion moduleSHAPE which stands for Spectropolarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth is an experimental payload onboard the Chandrayaan3 mission which will study spectropolarimetric signatures of Earth in the nearinfrared wavelength range ISRO saidIt is the only scientific payload on the propulsion module of the Chandrayaan3 mission ISRO saidConceptualised by the U R Rao Satellite Centre Bengaluru the main goal of the SHAPE experiment is to characterise Earths integrated spectrum and polarisation signatures at various phase angles from the vantage point of lunar orbitThe key science questions which are aimed at being addressed with the SHAPE payload are what could be the discintegrated spectrum of an Earthlike exoplanet and what could be the discintegrated polarisation from an Earthlike exoplanet ISRO saidOn August 17 the Chandrayaan3 mission achieved a major milestone when the lander module carrying the rover inside it successfully separated from the propulsion module which carries the SHAPE payloadThe SHAPE payload employs an AcoustoOptic Tunable Filter based element driven by a Radio Frequency source and has a pair of Indium Gallium Arsenide InGaAs detectorsThe instrument has been developed by the Space Astronomy Group at U R Rao Satellite Centre BengaluruA key finding of the SHAPE payload would be future discoveries of smaller planets in reflected light which would allow ISRO to probe into a variety of exoplanets planets beyond our solar system that would qualify for habitability or for the presence of lifeThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever