India's Chandrayaan-3 Set to Attempt Lunar South Pole Landing

Following Russia's Luna-25 Mishap, India Aims for Success

India's unmanned lunar probe, Chandrayaan-3, is poised to make a landing attempt at the Moon's South Pole on the 23rd of this month.

After Russia's Luna-25 failed landing on the 20th, all eyes are now on India as it seeks to achieve the world's first successful landing at the lunar South Pole. ISRO Director, Sridhara Somanaat, expressed confidence, stating, "Everything has progressed smoothly thus far, and we are well-prepared with multiple simulations and system verifications for the landing." He further shared with Times of India, "We have completed all preparations."

On the previous day (21st), ISRO released surface images of the Moon's South Pole captured by Chandrayaan-3's landing module, Vikram, while orbiting the Moon.

Named after the Sanskrit term for "lunar vehicle," Chandrayaan-3 was launched on the 14th of last month. The mission's third iteration is slated to conduct a series of scientific experiments over a two-week period upon landing at the Moon's South Pole.

India had previously launched Chandrayaan-2 in 2020, which ended in failure as the lander and rover crashed near the intended landing site.

If Chandrayaan-3 successfully lands on the Moon, India will become the fourth country in the world, following the United States, Russia, and China, to achieve a lunar landing. Furthermore, India would be the first nation to accomplish a landing at the lunar South Pole.

The lunar South Pole is believed to hold substantial amounts of water ice. The potential presence of water on the Moon's surface has spurred global competition to establish research bases or even human habitats in the region, and Mars exploration missions.

Despite Russia's Luna-25 setback, the country marked its re-entry into lunar exploration after a 47-year hiatus. Meanwhile, the United States is gearing up for the Artemis 3 project, planning to send humans to the Moon by 2025. China, on the other hand, aims to launch its Chang'e 6 and 7 missions in 2024 to explore the lunar South Pole.