23.01.2020
Work On Chandrayaan-3 Started: Chandrayaan-3s configuration will be almost similar to Chandrayaan-2 but the new mission will have a rover with a propulsio
The work on Chandrayaan-3 mission has started and it is going on at full speed, ISRO chief K Sivan said on Wednesday.
"The work on Chandrayaan-3 has started and it is going at full speed," he told reporters here. Asked whether ISRO look at a manned mission to the Moon, Sivan said, "Definitely someday but not immediately."
Earlier this month, Sivan had stated that Chandrayaan-3's configuration will be almost similar to Chandrayaan-2 but the new mission will have a rover with a propulsion module.
"In Chandrayaan-2 we had orbiter, lander and rover configuration. But the Chandrayaan-3 will be having a lander and rover with a propulsion module. The work is being carried out very smoothly," he had said.
Sivan further said that Chandrayaan-3's lander and craft cost is approximately Rs 250 crore, whereas the launch cost will be around Rs 350 crore.
Quelle: Businessworld
----
Update: 6.03.2020
.
ISRO to launch Chandrayaan-3 in first half of 2021: Govt
Chandrayaan-3 will be launched in the first half of 2021, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said, indicating that there could be a slight delay in the launch of the third moon mission.
In a written response to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Singh said four biological and two physical science experiments related to microgravity will be conducted during the Gaganyaan project, India's manned mission to space.
Singh said the revised configuration takes care of the robustness in design, capacity enhancement for mission flexibility and at the same time retained the heritage of Chandrayaan-II to the extent possible.
"The tentative launch schedule for Chandrayaan–III is first half of 2021. Chandrayaan–III mission has been configured based on the lessons learnt from Chadrayaan – II," Singh said.
Chandrayaan-II hard-landed on lunar surface last year.
The Indian Space Research Organisation had then resolved to launch the project again. It had said the project is likely to be launched by the end of the year.
Elaborating on the progress made on Gaganyaan, Singh said hardware realisation has commenced for ground test and space flight training of four astronaut candidates has also commenced.
"Four biological and two physical science experiments related to microgravity from academic institutions are short-listed...," Singh said.
National collaboration for design, development and delivery of human-centric products such as crew medical kit, crew health monitoring system, emergency survival kit, dosimeters, earmuffs and fire suppression system has started, Singh said.
A three-week training programme for flight surgeon was also completed at ISRO with participation of CNES, the space agency of France, he added.
Quelle: DECCAN HERALD
----
Update: 30.08.2020
.
Chandrayaan-3: Isro to create Moon craters 200km from Bengaluru
Quelle: The Times of India
----
Update: 8.09.2020
.
'Chandrayaan-3' moon mission to be launched early next year, won't include orbiter this time
India's 'Chandrayaan-3' moon mission is likely to be launched early next year, i.e. in the first quarter of 2021. The third planned lunar exploration mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is likely to only include a 'lander' and a 'rover' similar to that of Chandrayaan-2 but will not have an orbiter. This information was provided by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State (MoS) for the Department of Space.
India's 'Chandrayaan-3' moon mission is likely to be launched early next year, i.e. in the first quarter of 2021. The third planned lunar exploration mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is likely to only include a 'lander' and a 'rover' similar to that of Chandrayaan-2 but will not have an orbiter. This information was provided by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State (MoS) for the Department of Space.
Contact with Chandrayaan-2 was broken in September last year when the snag in communication led to the failure of the mission's soft landing attempt on the lunar surface after successful orbital insertion. Thereafter, ISRO proposed the launch of 'Chandrayaan-3', the third lunar exploration mission that will successfully demonstrate soft landing this time.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak and the subsequent COVID-19-necessitated lockdown led to a delay in the launch of the 'Chandrayaan-3' lunar exploration mission. It is now expected to be launched in early 2021. However, if this schedule is adhered to, India will become the world's fourth country to conduct a soft lunar landing.
Along with the Chandrayaan-3, preparations are also on for India's first expedition to send humans into space. It can be launched around 2022, sources said.
Notably, although the contact has been lost with Chandrayaan-2's lander and rover, the orbiter is still doing its job and orbiting the Moon on a polar orbit at an altitude of 100 km, conducting high-resolution observations of the landing site prior to the separation of the lander from the orbiter.
Quelle: DNA
+++
Isro's Chandrayaan-3 to lift off for Moon in early 2021, without orbiter
The mission has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic and the follow-up lockdowns. The launch which was planned for 2020 will now take off for the Lunar surface sometime in early 2021
he Indian Space and Research Organisation (Isro) is swiftly moving ahead with the Chandrayaan-3 mission likely to be launched in early 2021. However, unlike Chandrayaan-2, it will not have an orbiter but will include a lander and a rover, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said.
The mission has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic and the follow-up lockdowns. The launch which was planned for 2020 will now take off for the Lunar surface sometime in early 2021.
Chandrayaan-3 will be a mission repeat of Chandrayaan-2 and will include a Lander and Rover similar to that of Chandrayaan-2, but will not have an orbiter, a statement quoting Singh said. Planned to land on the South Pole of the Moon, Chandrayaan-2 was launched on July 22 last year. However, the lander Vikram hard-landed on September 7, crashing India's dream to become the first nation to successfully touch down on the lunar surface in its maiden attempt.
The orbiter of the mission is working fine and has been sending data, Isro had indicated that the third moon mission will utilise the orbiter already in the lunar orbit.
Moon is rusting discovers Chandrayaan-1
Chandrayaan-1 has sent images that show that Moon may be rusting along the poles. The sign of this finding is that even though the surface of the Moon is known to have iron-rich rocks, it is not known for the presence of water and oxygen, which are the two elements needed to interact with iron to create rust.
A new paper in Science Advances reviews data from the Indian Space Research Organization's Chandrayaan-1 orbiter, which discovered water ice and mapped out a variety of minerals while surveying the Moon's surface in 2008.
The mystery starts with the solar wind, a stream of charged particles that flows out from the Sun, bombarding Earth and the Moon with hydrogen. Hydrogen makes it harder for hematite to form. It's what is known as a reducer, meaning it adds electrons to the materials it interacts with. That's the opposite of what is needed to make hematite: For iron to rust, it requires an oxidizer, which removes electrons. And while the Earth has a magnetic field shielding it from this hydrogen, the Moon does not.
The blue areas in this composite image from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) aboard the Indian Space Research Organization's Chandrayaan-1 orbiter show water concentrated at the Moon's poles.
"It's very puzzling," lead author Shuai Li of the University of Hawaii said. "The Moon is a terrible environment for hematite to form in." The paper offers a three-pronged model to explain how rust might form in such an environment. For starters, while the Moon lacks an atmosphere, it is in fact home to trace amounts of oxygen. The source of that oxygen: Earth's magnetic field trails behind the planet like a windsock.
The Moon has been inching away from Earth for billions of years, so it's also possible that more oxygen hopped across this rift when the two were closer in the ancient past.
Quelle: Business Standard
----
Update: 25.02.2021
.
India revises Gaganyaan human spaceflight plan, delays Chandrayaan-3
HELSINKI — India has revised target dates for launches of its human spaceflight missions and the Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing following COVID-19-related delays.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was targeting August 2022 for the launch to mark the 75th anniversary of Indian independence. However the first human spaceflight demonstration will now follow after a second uncrewed test flight now planned for 2022-23, chairman K Sivan has said.
ISRO is targeting a first uncrewed test flight in December this year. The mission will involve human-rated Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III rocket with a modified upper stage compatible with a crew module and crew escape system, according to Times of India.
The first uncrewed mission was initially planned to launch in December 2020, following the formal announcement of the Gaganyaan project in August 2018. India had late last year stated that the Gaganyaan project will be “slightly delayed” due to COVID-19.
The first crewed mission will carry three astronauts with one backup. Four pilots selected for the program are participating in astronaut training in Russia.
India is aiming to join Russia, the United States and China as the only countries to have achieved independent human spaceflight capabilities. The country is also at this early stage looking beyond low Earth orbit.
India’s Department of Space recently released the draft “Humans in Space Policy” into the public domain for comments and suggestions ahead of potential cabinet approval.
The document states that the Humans in Space Policy “aims for sustained human presence in space as an instrument for development, innovation and foster collaborations in alignment with national interests.”
In pursuing the draft the Department of space would be expected to “define [a] long-term road map for sustained human presence in low earth orbit and undertaking exploration missions beyond low earth orbit.”
Necessary technologies for enabling sustained human presence in LEO and beyond as stated to include regenerative life support systems, rendezvous and docking systems, inflatable habitats and extravehicular activity suits.
Utilizing international cooperation, developing ecosystems, encouraging entrepreneurship and enhancing public involvement are also noted as key tasks.
Second lunar landing attempt delayed
Chandrayaan-3, India’s third mission to the moon, is likely to slip to 2022, ISRO chairman K Sivan told Press Trust of India news agency.
The mission will involve a lander and a small rover similar to Chandrayaan-2, but no orbiter.
The 2019 Chandrayaan-2 mission successfully put an orbiter around the moon but the landing attempt ended in loss of communications despite a nominal descent down to an altitude of around two kilometers.
Chandrayaan-3 is expected to target the same landing site, around 70.9 degrees south of the lunar equator. The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter will operate as a communications relay for the Chandrayaan-3 lander.
If successful Chandrayaan-3 could make India the fourth country to successfully soft-land on the moon.
K Sivan told press that the mission and its planned success will form the basis of ISRO interplanetary missions. India is also planning a Venus orbiter for launch in 2024.
India is meanwhile preparing for the launch of the PSLV-C51 (the 53rd Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle mission) from Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, at 11:53 p.m. Eastern, Feb. 27.
The Amazonia-1 optical earth observation satellite of National Institute for Space Research (INPE) of Brazil is the primary payload. It will be joined by 18 smaller passenger satellites.
The mission will be India’s first launch of 2021, following a COVID-19-hit 2020.
Quelle: SN
----
Update: 28.01.2022
.
Instruments onboard Chandrayaan-3 undergoing tests, readying for launch later this year: Former ISRO chief
On the successful completion of over two years by the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, AS Kiran Kumar said that there was enough fuel required to continue operations and that the satellite is functioning well.
Former ISRO chairman AS Kiran Kumar said that all instruments and payloads to be mounted on the Vikram lander are undergoing final experiments and testing. The lander will be an important part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, whose launch is planned by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) later this year.
He was speaking on ‘ISRO Exploration Missions’ during the ‘Space Radiation Workshop’ organised virtually by Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune and NASA. The workshop, organised as part of India’s 75 years of Independence, will conclude on Friday.
The orbiter part of the Chandrayaan-2 mission was successfully inserted into the orbit in August 2019 but the soft-landing of the Vikram lander carrying the Pragyan rover failed. The third moon mission will make another attempt to land Vikram on the lunar surface.
“The unsuccessful attempt of the Vikram lander is being taken care of and in the Chandrayaan-3 mission, the lander and rover will be carried on a propulsion module. All payloads for tracking the lunar activity, the alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer and the ChaSTE — the lone instrument to touch the lunar surface to perform thermal measurements of lunar high-latitude regions — and others are being integrated with the rover. These are getting ready for tests and launch later this year,” said Kiran Kumar, who is currently the chairman of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) Council and a member of the Apex Science Board of the ISRO.
On the successful completion of over two years by the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, the former ISRO chief said that there was enough fuel required to continue operations and that the satellite is functioning well. “The mission is expected to carry on for many more years,” he said.
In the future, there will be attempts to reposition the satellite to be able to go to a lower orbit and collect more data post Chandrayaan-3, which will provide a backup relay system for Chandrayaan-2, he informed.
Hailing the science that has emerged from Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) and AstroSat missions of the ISRO, Kiran Kumar said that researchers from over 50 countries have used data generated by each of these missions.
Similar to Chandrayaan-3, the final testing of the instruments onboard the solar mission, named Aditya L-1, is under progress. This will be India’s maiden mission to the Sun and is scheduled for a lunch this year.
The third mission XPoSat, also gearing up for a 2022 launch, will be a dedicated satellite for measuring polarization in X-rays. The two payloads part of this mission are Polarimeter Instrument (POLIX) and X-Ray Spectrometer (XSPECT).
Giving glimpses into the space agency’s future missions, Kiran Kumar talked about Disturbed and quiet time Ionosphere-thermosphere System at High Altitude (DISHA) and the mission to planet Venus. DISHA — a twin aeronomy mission with six payloads — will study the relevance of space weather and its effects on the terrestrial upper atmosphere.
“Both DISHA and the mission to Venus are presently in their final stages of discussions and approval,” he said.
The ISRO is also in talks for collaboration with its Japanese counterpart, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the mission could also see contributions from NASA. This mission shall have a 350kg rover with instruments to perform in-situ (at source) samples and perform analysis near the moon’s south pole.
“In another two years from now, the ISRO plans to collaborate with JAXA for a six-month Lunar Polar Exploration mission with an expected launch in 2024 or 2025.”
On career opportunities for working with the ISRO, Kiran Kumar said that the young students can work for the ISRO through the scientific institutions collaborating with the space agency.
“The field of Space Sciences is growing significantly and becoming important in the country,” he said.
Quelle: The Indian Express
----
Update: 4.02.2022
.
ISRO to Launch Chandrayaan-3 in August This Year
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch Chandrayaan-3 in August 2022.
The Department of Space has planned as many as 19 missions this year even as the Chandrayaan-3, the next phase of India's mission to the moon, is scheduled for August 2022, the government told the Lok Sabha.
"Based on the learnings from Chandrayaan-2 and suggestions made by the national level experts, the realisation of Chandrayaan-3 is in progress. Many related hardware and their special tests are successfully completed, and the launch is scheduled for August 2022," Union Minister for Space Dr Jitendra Singh said in reply to a written question.
A total of 19 missions are planned during January to December 2022, including eight 'Launch Vehicle Missions', seven 'Spacecraft Missions' and four 'Technology Demonstrator Missions', Singh said.
Several ongoing missions were impacted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, reprioritisation of projects has taken place in the backdrop of Space Sector reforms and newly introduced demand driven models, he said.
The list of satellites launched in the last three years' time include EOS-03 launched on August 12, 2021; Amazonia-1 launched on February 28, 2021; Satish Dhawan SAT (SDSAT) on February 28, 2021, and UNITYsat on February 28, 2021.
In the year 2020 and 2019, CMS-01 was launched on December 17, 2020; EOS-01 (November 7, 2020); GSAT-30 (January 17, 2020) while those launched in 2019 include RISAT-2BR1 (December 11, 2019); Cartosat-3 (November 27, 2019); Chandrayaan-2 (July 22, 2019); RISAT-2B (May 22, 2019); EMISAT (April 1, 2019); GSAT-31 (February 6, 2019); Microsat-R (January 24, 2019) and Kalamsat-V2 (January 24, 2019), the Minister informed the House yesterday, a Ministry's release said on Thursday.
Quelle: IANS
+++
India targets August launch for Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander
SEOUL, South Korea — India aims for an August launch of its Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander mission, the nation’s science and technology minister said on Feb. 2.
The mission will mark India’s second attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon. A 2019 attempt failed when Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram lander and its onboard rover crashed into the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-2’s accompanying orbiter is still circling the moon and will serve as a communications relay for the Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover.
India initially planned to launch Chandrayaan-3 in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic put the project behind schedule.
“Based on the learnings from Chandrayaan-2 and suggestions made by the national level experts, the realization of Chandrayaan-3 is in progress,” India’s science and technology minister, Jitendra Singh, said in a Feb. 2 statement. “Many related hardware and their special tests are successfully completed. The launch is scheduled for August 2022.”
Chandrayaan-3 is planned for launch from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Center aboard Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III rocket.
After reaching the moon, Chandrayaan-3 will attempt to land about 70.9 degrees south of the lunar equator — the same landing site chosen for Chandraayan-2’s landing attempt.
If successful, Chandrayaan-3 will make India the fourth country, after the United States, Russia and China, to successfully soft-land on the moon.
Quelle: SN