Q.16. What is the main task of India’s third moon mission which could not be achieved in its earlier mission? List the countries that have achieved this task. Introduce the subsystems in the spacecraft launched and explain the role of the ‘Virtual Launch Control Centre’ at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre which contributed to the successful launch from Sriharikota. [UPSC 2023 GS P-3]

India’s third moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, aimed to achieve a task that was not successfully accomplished in its earlier mission, Chandrayaan-2. The primary objective of Chandrayaan-3 was to demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, specifically targeting the moon’s south pole. This goal was not achieved during Chandrayaan-2 due to the lander’s failure to achieve a soft landing.

Countries that have successfully achieved a soft landing on the moon include:

1. Russia (Soviet Union):
   • In 1959, Russia (then known as the USSR) became the first country to achieve a successful lunar landing with the spacecraft Luna-2 (hard-landed).
   • Later, in 1966, Russia achieved a soft landing with Luna-9.
2. United States:
   • In 1966, the US successfully soft-landed on the moon with the Apollo-11 mission, which included astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
   • The US has achieved a total of 11 soft landings on the moon, the most by any country. Additionally, the US is the only nation to have landed twelve people on the moon through six space missions.
3. China:
   • In 2013, China became the third country to land on the moon with the Chang’e-3 mission (soft-landed with the rover Yutu).
   • In 2019, China achieved another milestone by landing a rover on the dark side of the moon with the Chang’e-4 mission.

Chandrayaan-3’s spacecraft consists of several subsystems:

• Propulsion Module (SHAPE):
  • Designed for future exploration missions beyond the moon.
  • Aims to discover smaller planets and identify exoplanets within habitable zones similar to Earth.
• Vikram Lander:
  • RAMBHA: Measures near-surface plasma density (ions and electrons) on the moon and monitors changes over time.
  • ChaSTE: Conducts thermal property measurements of the lunar surface near the polar region.
  • ILSA: Measures lunar seismic activity around the landing site, providing insights into the moon’s crust and mantle structure.
  • LRA: Passively studies the moon’s system, offering valuable data for lunar research.
• Pragyan Rover:
  • Utilizes Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) to determine the chemical composition of the moon’s surface.

The Virtual Launch Control Centre (VLCC) at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) played a pivotal role in orchestrating the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3 from Sriharikota. This advanced facility leverages cutting-edge technology to monitor and manage every aspect of the launch process remotely. Here are the key points about its role:

• System Checkouts: The VLCC allows the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to remotely carry out system checkouts on the LVM3 launch vehicle prior to a mission. These checkouts ensure that all critical systems, including electronics, actuators, and commands, are operating properly. For the Chandrayaan-3 launch, all system checkouts up to 14 minutes and 30 seconds before lift-off were remotely conducted from the VLCC.
• Operational During Pandemic: The VLCC was operationalized during the COVID-19 pandemic when large-scale movement of personnel for space missions was not feasible. Manned by a small group of scientists, it has been activated for various missions, including the LVM3 M2/OneWeb India-1 mission in October 2022.
• Chandrayaan-3 Mission: Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-up mission to the 2019 Chandrayaan-2. The spacecraft consists of the Propulsion Module, the Lander, and the Rover. After the July 14 launch, ISRO expects to soft-land the lander on the lunar surface in the last week of August. The lander carries four payloads, while the rover has two, and the propulsion module has one.

In summary, the VLCC’s remote monitoring and system checkouts ensured the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3, contributing to India’s lunar exploration efforts.