India Lands A Spacecraft Near The Moon's South Pole
India made history Wednesday by becoming the first country in the world to launching its spacecraft to the The country landed near the moon's south pole, new territory scientists believe may hold vital reserves of water ice, and is the fourth country to land on the moon.
A lander with a rover inside landed on the moon emerges at 6:04 am local time, drawing cheers and cheers from scientists watching the spacecraft in the southern Indian city of Bangalore. After a failed attempt in 2019, India now joins the United States, the Soviet Union and China in achieving this milestone.
Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi , witnessed its historic landing. in South Africa, where he participates in the BRICS summit. “India is now over the moon. India has reached the south pole of the Moon; No other country has done this. We are witnessing history," Modi said as he waved the Indian tricolor.
India's successful landing comes just days after Russia's Luna-25 had targeted the same lunar region An uncontrolled orbit and crashed It would have been the first Russian moon landing in 47 years The head of the Russian aerospace company Roscosmos attributed the failure to a lack of experience due to the long interruption of lunar research after the last lunar mission to the Soviet Union in 1976.
Excited and worried, people across India, home to the world's largest population, gather around TVs in offices, shops, restaurants and homes. Thousands prayed for mission success with oil lamps on Tuesday at river banks, temples and religious sites, including the holy city of Varanasi in northern India.
India The Chandrayaan-3 ("moon ship" in Sanskrit) was launched on July 14 from a launch pad in Sriharikota, southern India, for the upcoming Chandrayaan-3 mission, which aims to make a soft landing on the lunar surface. "This achievement represents a major leap forward for Indian science, engineering, technology and industry and symbolizes our country's advancement in space exploration," the Space Research Organization of India said in a statement released. Wednesday. .
He said that a successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 would be of paramount importance as it would arouse curiosity and a passion for discovery among young people. “There is a deep sense of pride and unity in celebrating the achievements of Indian science and technology together. This will help create an environment conducive to scientific research and innovation,” the organization explained.
Many countries and private companies are interested in the Polo region South because they are permanently there, the shadow craters may contain water ice that could support future astronaut missions.
The Chandrayaan-3 six-wheeled rover and lander is equipped of payloads that provide the scientific community with data on the properties of lunar soils and rocks, including chemical and elemental composition.
India's previous attempt to land a robotic spacecraft near the Moon's little-explored south pole failed in 2019. It landed in lunar orbit but lost contact with the its lander, which crashed on landing. the moon. Their final descent to deploy a rover looking for signs of water. According to an incident analysis report sent to ISRO, the crash was caused by a software bug.
The $140 million mission of the 2019 had the goal of studying the sustainability of observation craters. No Although India's largest country was the country's largest economy last year, the nationalist Modi government wants to highlight India's growing position as a technological and space powerhouse. A successful lunar mission fits Modi's image of an India on the rise, solidifying his place among the global elite and helping to boost his popularity ahead of next year's crucial general elections.
Expectations for a successful landing have risen after Russia's failed attempt, and China, India's regional rival, is trying to reach new space milestones. In May, China launched a three-man crew of its space station into orbit and hopes to land astronauts on the moon by the end of the decade. Relations between India and China have collapsed after the deadly border disputes of 2020.
Many countries and private companies are competing to land a spacecraft on the surface lunar. In April, a Japanese company's spacecraft apparently crashed while trying to land on the moon. An Israeli non-profit attempted a similar feat in 2019, but its spacecraft was destroyed on impact.
Japan plans to launch a lunar satellite module to the Moon this weekend, as part of an X-ray telescope mission, and two US companies are also working to place probes on the Moon, including one at the South Pole, until the end of the year. In the coming years, NASA plans to send astronauts to the south pole of the Moon using the water ice from the craters.
