Chandrayaan-3 mission: Know the secret ingredient that landed ISRO on the Moon when Luna 25 crashed

Know what made the Chandrayaan-3 mission different from Russia’s Luna-25. Also, know how ISRO achieved a safe landing on the Moon.

Chandrayaan-3 took flight on July 14, while the Luna-25 launched on August 11, however, the landing dates of both missions were similar.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission made several orbital maneuvers to reach the moon, while Luna-25 was planned for a direct trajectory.

It was Russia’s first lunar mission in 47 years, and ISRO’s second attempt at a lunar landing. While the Chandrayaan-3 mission made a safe landing, Luna-25 crashed at the landing site. 

Luna-25 mission objectives included studying the soil composition, dust particles, and finding the presence of water, whereas, the Chandrayaan-3 mission aimed for soft landing, launching a rover and conducting in-situ experiments.

If Luna-25 was planned for a year-long mission, whereas, the Chandrayaan-3 mission was only for 14-days. 

The Luna-25 consisted of eight payloads to conduct the studies, and the Chandrayaan-3 lander had four instruments while the rover also included two scientific instruments. 

Chandrayaa-3 mission made a soft landing on a lunar south pole on August 23, 2023, while Luna-25 crashed due to a malfunction in onboard control. 

As the Chandrayaan-3 mission was built from the learning of the Chandrayaan-2 mission crash, it was able to make a historic landing and conduct studies on the Moon.

Now, India has marked its flag on the Moon’s south pole, with two Indian ambassadors, the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover, who are currently in sleep mode.

ISRO has hopes that one day they will wake up from their sleep and communicate to continue the mission.