What is India doing in space?
India has long stood as a rising force in space exploration. The nation launched its first satellite in 1980, and early missions were primarily aimed at practical goals: improving communications, gathering Earth data, and advancing scientific understanding. At that time, many Indians faced tough living conditions, so space work was about supporting development and governance rather than grand interplanetary ambitions.
By the early 21st century, the living standards in India had improved and the space program had grown in capability. In 2008, India embarked on its first deep space mission to study the Moon. Chandrayaan-1, translated from Sanskrit as Moon Mission, sent a probe into lunar orbit and deployed an impactor to the surface. The mission yielded important discoveries when spectral data indicated water molecules in the lunar soil, a finding corroborated by later observations from other missions. This marked a milestone in India’s ability to participate in high-profile planetary science, alongside international efforts.
The year 2019 saw Chandrayaan-2, which achieved a soft lunar landing and deployed a rover. However, contact was lost with the lander just a few kilometers above the surface. Earlier, in 2014, India launched the Mars Orbiter Mission, known as Mangalyaan, which placed India among a select group of nations to reach Mars orbit on its first attempt. Looking ahead, the Indian Space Research Organisation plans to expand its presence in space by building a dedicated space laboratory, continuing lunar exploration, and pursuing missions to Venus and, in theory, Jupiter. These ambitions place India in the company of the world’s leading space programs and highlight its growing capabilities in planetary science and exploration.
What apparatus landed on the Moon now?
Chandrayaan-3 comprises a lander and a small lunar rover. The launch occurred on 14 July aboard the GSLV Mk.III rocket. The planned landing target sits near the lunar south pole, a region of scientific interest because of the potential presence of water ice. The coordinates indicate a landing area close to 69.36 degrees south and 32.335 degrees east, a sector aligned with prior lunar missions that studied this shadowed terrain.
In designing the Vikram lander, engineers prioritized reliability. The vehicle is equipped with instruments that measure temperature and thermal properties, a seismometer to sense moonquakes, and a plasma probe to study the near-surface environment. The Pragyan rover, compact at about 26 kilograms, carries a laser and an alpha spectrometer to analyze soil composition and search for water traces. Although its size limits how far it can roam, the rover communicates with Earth through the lander and can survey a circular area with a radius of roughly 500 meters. A single lunar day, about 14 Earth days, defines the window for Pragyan’s operations.
The returning descent module that carried the rover remains tasked with validating flight and landing technology while scientists continue to test instruments and monitor the Moon from Earth’s vantage point in the near infrared spectrum. The mission’s goals blend technology demonstration with practical scientific inquiry, reinforcing India’s role in ongoing lunar exploration.
Differences between “Chandrayaan-3” and “Luna-25”
Both missions aimed at the Moon’s south polar region because of potential water ice, a resource with implications for life support, fuel, and habitat maintenance. The Luna-25 mission from another space program did not deploy a lunar rover, instead relying on a suite of scientific instruments and a mechanized scoop to study the surface. Chandrayaan-3, in contrast, pairs a robust lander with the Pragyan rover, offering expanded surface exploration capabilities and the chance to map ice-rich terrains in greater detail. The lander’s main objective leans toward proving dependable Indian technology, while the rover adds valuable mobility for surveying diverse sites across the polar region.
In addition, Chandrayaan-3 followed a gradual ascent toward the Moon, launched in mid-July and inserted into Earth orbit in stages before a multi-stage transfer to lunar orbit. The landing occurred after a careful transition from an elliptical parking orbit to a near-circular pre-landing path. The Russian lunar mission Luna-25 faced a different trajectory and encountered difficulties during the orbital transition, highlighting the challenges of precise lunar insertion and soft landing in contemporary exploration efforts.