Chandrayaan-3 Successfully Makes Soft Landing on Moon's South Pole

India's Chandrayaan-3 mission has achieved a historic milestone by successfully executing a soft landing on the moon's south pole today. ISRO's third lunar mission follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, Chandrayaan-2, with significant improvements to its lander, sensors, and propulsion systems. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was launched from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 14.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) orchestrated the controlled descent of the Lunar Module, housing the lander named Vikram and the rover named Pragyan. The landing sequence started around 5:44 pm IST, with the touchdown taking place at approximately 6:03 pm IST.

The landing process, often called the "17 minutes of terror," involved a series of intricate manoeuvres and autonomous decisions for the Automatic Landing Sequence (ALS) to ensure a safe touchdown.

The Lunar Module, consisting of the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover, aimed to explore the moon's south pole, a region of immense scientific interest due to the presence of potentially frozen water.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission marks India's entry into an elite group of nations capable of achieving a soft landing on the moon, joining the ranks of the US, the former Soviet Union, and China.

This achievement furthers India's space exploration capabilities and holds potential significance for global space research.