Ahmedabad, Aug 22 (UNI) If any factor appears unfavourable, ISRO will land the Vikram module on the Moon’s surface on August 27, a top ISRO official said.
The original landing of the Viram module is scheduled around 6:04 pm on August 23.
“On August 23, two hours before Chandrayaan-3 lands on the Moon, we will take a decision on whether or not it will be appropriate to land it at that time based on the health of the lander module and the conditions on the Moon,” ISRO’s Space Applications Centre Director (Ahmedabad) Nilesh M Desai told a section of media.
“In case, if any factor appears to be unfavourable, then we will land the module on the Moon on August 27. No problem should occur and we will be able to land the module on August 23,” he added.
The Ahmedabad-based ISRO scientist said that the decision regarding the landing will be taken based on the health of Vikram Lander, and the conditions on the Moon.
The last 15 minutes of the landing is a very crucial phase of Chandrayaan-3 mission because there are chances of crash landing if the speed of the Vikram module is controlled.
“It is not that difficult to land the module on the North Pole of the Moon. But at the south pole of it, there are big craters and boulders. So, it will be very difficult to land the module safely and softly. Our focus will be on reducing the velocity of the lander from 1.68 km/sec because the Moon’s gravitational force also plays a part,” he said.
Asked what would happen if Vikram Lander is nowhere near the landing site, Desai said it would make an automatic landing with the help of an emergency mode, depending on the surface.
The Chandrayaan-3 is aimed at the lunar south pole, a region with water ice, or frozen water, that could be a source of oxygen, fuel and water for future moon missions or a more permanent moon colony.
Chandrayaan-3 is expected to remain functional for two weeks if Vikram soft-lands successfully.
The approved cost of Chandrayaan-3 is Rs 250 crores (excluding launch vehicle cost).
