INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
BENGALURU: A day after Vikram, the Chandrayaan-3 lander set the stage for a controlled landing planned for around 6.04pm on August 23 by
With the stage set for landing, Isro would now be carrying out internal checks on the landing module
Powered descent is expected to commence on August 23 at around 5.45pm and Vikram is set to land on the lunar surface around
landing to happen when Sun rises on Moon so we get 14-15 [Earth] days to work
phases of the mission having gone nominally, Isro will attempt the landing on August 23, a success at which would see Vikram descend on a
pre-decided site near the lunar south pole, four years after success remained elusive to its predecessor bearing the same name.Extended Life
Not Ruled OutVikram and Pragyan (the rover) are designed to have a life of one lunar day (14 Earth days) powered by the sun, but a life
extension is not ruled out completely
However, our tests show that there are possibilities of the battery getting recharged upon the next Sun rise
area as Isro wants cameras on the lander to be able to see the rover at all times
As of now the movement is for 14 days and Isro will map the distance it covers
In case the life of the lander and rover gets extended, then Pragyan will travel more.In Queue To Reach MoonWhile Vikram is just three days
while it attempted entering a pre-landing orbit
The US will launch its CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services), Trailblazer, VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) and
Artemis-II, China has multiple missions under the China's Lunar Exploration Programme, Israel is planning Beresheet-2 and Japan will
launch Hakuto-II - III and SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) independently, and Lupex (Lunar Polar Exploration) jointly with India
These missions are part of a renewed interest globally to return to Moon and efforts for a more sustained presence
Aside from these, the lunar orbit is already crowded albeit low compared to Earth orbits, posing a challenge of collisions for all lunar
