Ranchi (The Hawk): While the monthly pay for the technical employees of HEC have not been paid for seven to eight months.On one hand, hundreds of HEC engineers have been working against the clock to complete their work assignment of providing all the heavy machinery needed for the flight of Chandrayaan-3 and Gaganyaan missions while on the other, they have been protesting for the last 40 days outside HEC's headquarters at Dhurva, Ranchi, demanding payment of their salaries.The "Mother of All Industries" moniker belongs to HEC, one of the oldest and most prestigious engineering institutions in the nation.According to a HEC representative, the Gaganyaan project has recently received the basic framework of the second launchpad.For the Gaganyaan project, up to four different types of cranes, folding-cum-vertically repositionable platforms, sliding doors, mobile launching pedestals, vertical turning and boaring machines, as well as other equipment, have already been supplied.In addition, commissioning of a number of large machinery is nearly complete.Equipment including wheel bogie assembly and folding platforms have finished production and will shortly be delivered to ISRO.Transporting huge HEC-made devices, which weigh hundreds of tonnes, to the ISRO station in Sriharikota was a significant problem as well, but it was accomplished.A crane made by HEC has been set up at an 80-meter height to prevent the satellite rocket from moving.This crane is capable of withstanding extremely strong winds. With the assistance of HEC, ISRO projects have established records before.Most of the satellites that have been sent into space thus far include launch pads, cranes, and other large machinery made by HEC.Numerous organisations, including ISRO, Coal India, Indian Railways, the Ministry of Defense, and others, have relied on HEC for heavy machinery; yet, despite its illustrious past, HEC is currently in ruins.Today, everyone who works at HEC, from the officers to the employees, is demonstrating to keep the institution open.In addition to ISRO, the company has received work orders worth Rs. 1,500 crore from the Ministry of Defence, Railways, Coal India, and the steel industry; however, 80% of the work has been halted due to a shortage of working capital.For the past five years, HEC's production has been steadily declining. In the factory setup at HEC, just 25% of the machines are in use.The Heavy Machine Building Plant and Foundry Forge Plant no longer employ several machines.It is no longer able to purchase anything, from specialised oil required in machinery to little spare parts.Additionally, raw minerals like coal are in short supply.The Ministry of Heavy Industries has already said that the Union government cannot assist the factory in any manner, despite the HEC's repeated requests for a working capital of Rs 1,000 crore from the Ministry. The government asserts that the company's management must be self-sufficient.All anti-BJP parties demonstrated on Saturday in Ranchi in favour of saving the HEC at the Raj Bhavan.To rescue HEC, hundreds of workers from the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (M-L), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, and Communist Party of India organised a demonstration at the Ranchi Center against the BJP-led administration.(Inputs from Agencies)

While the monthly pay for the technical employees of HEC have not been paid for seven to eight months. On one hand, hundreds of HEC engineers have been working against the clock to complete their work assignment of providing all the heavy machinery needed for the flight of Chandrayaan-3 and Gaganyaan missions while on the other, they have been protesting for the last 40 days outside HEC's headquarters at Dhurva, Ranchi, demanding payment of their salaries.

3,400 J'khand PSU employees working on Chandrayaan-3 and Gaganyaan projects are still unpaid

New Delhi (The Hawk): Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science &amp; Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) of Government of India has signed 04 (four) cooperative documents specifically to collaborate in space exploration in the last five years.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the agreement with the USA is for accommodating USA instruments in India’s Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3. He informed that the agreement with Japan is to conduct feasibility study for a joint lunar polar exploration mission, while with UK for conducting feasibility study for collaboration in future space science missions. Dr Jitendra Singh also informed that Department of Space of Government of India provides training and capacity building in space science related technology including satellite services to neighboring small countries and other space-aspiring countries of the world. He said, India and Bhutan collaborated on the development of INDIA-BHUTANSAT Satellite carrying into payloads NanoMX, an optical imaging payload developed by ISRO and APRS-Digipeater, jointly developed by DITT, Bhutan and ISRO. The said satellite has been successfully placed in orbit on 26.11.2022. A communication satellite ‘South Asia Satellite’ was dedicated by India to South Asian Countries in 2017.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) of Government of India has signed 04 (four) cooperative documents specifically to collaborate in space exploration in the last five years.

ISRO’s Agreement With USA Is For Accommodating USA Instruments In India’s Chandrayaan-2 & Chandrayaan-3

Chennai (The Hawk): According to S. Somanath, chairman of India's leading space agency and Secretary, Space, Government of India, the coming year will be important for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in particular and for the space industry.
The Indian space agency is considering a number of significant space missions, including the Chandrayaan-3 Moon Mission, test flights and unmanned rocket flights for the Gaganyaan human space mission, the launch of the Aditya L1 satellite or the Sun Mission, the joint Indo-US NISAR satellite launch, the launch of 36 OneWeb satellites for a fee, the second flight of its small rocket, the development of new rocket architecture, and others.
In addition, a legislation governing the industry is anticipated to be passed by the central government next year, and the private actors will also prepare their satellites and rockets.
"The ISRO will investigate how to create better systems. The space agency will concentrate on creating more affordable new generation rockets. The organisation will build a new rocket architecture "Somanath stated in an interview with IANS.
According to the general trend, the ISRO will also consider establishing a constellation of satellites for imaging.
Somanath asserts that the Space Policy must first be established before the Space Bill. With numerous Ministries, the draught Bill is currently being discussed.
He mentioned the space missions to IANS, mentioning the launch of 36 satellites for the UK-based OneWeb. LVM3 rocket from ISRO will launch the satellites (formerly Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mk3).
The launch in June or July is crucial for the coveted Chandrayaan-3 mission, which is also planned for 2023. Next year, ISRO intends to launch NavIC and attempt a second navigation satellite, according to Somanath.
He stated that the ISRO intends to launch its satellite Aditya-L1, a coronagraphy spacecraft to investigate the solar atmosphere, to the sun with a PSLV rocket next year.
The spacecraft will be positioned in a halo orbit, or L1, which is the first Lagrange point in the Sun-Earth system, according to the ISRO.
The main benefit of orbiting a satellite near the L1 point is that it can observe the Sun continually without being obscured by clouds or eclipses.
Next year, ISRO intends to test-fly two rockets and conduct an unmanned rocket mission as part of Gaganyaan.
Somanath stated that the satellite will launch next year to the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Mission, an Indo-US collaboration.
In January or February of the next year, "the NISAR satellite is anticipated to be flagged off from the US to India," Somanath said.
He claims that the ISRO intends to launch several of its brand-new Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) rockets in 2019.
For the second SSLV rocket launch, the space agency must build a satellite. In 2022, the first mission that took place was unsuccessful.
According to Somanath, there have been a lot of inquiries about using SSLV and increasing output is being considered.
The semi-cryogenic engine that the ISRO plans to use to power the rockets will reportedly undergo testing in 2023.
"To launch one NavIC satellite in February of next year, we are attempting to obtain approval from the Indian government. We're also keeping an eye on the long-term strategy. To replace the current NavIC satellites, five more are being built. For civilian use, the five satellites will have a new frequency. Additionally, communication security has been strengthened for use by the strategic sectors "added Somanath.
As the air force helicopter was not available in 2022 to lift and release the same from the appropriate height, ISRO would test land its reusable launch vehicle (RLV) in 2023.
(Inputs from Agencies)

According to S. Somanath, chairman of India's leading space agency and Secretary, Space, Government of India, the coming year will be important for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in particular and for the space industry.

YEAREND INTERVIEW: Busy 2023 awaits ISRO with Chandrayaan-3, Sun Mission & more

Chennai: Indian space agency on Thursday said it had successfully completed the tests to check Chandrayaan-3 -- moon spacecraft -- to withstand the harsh vibration and acoustic environment that the spacecraft would face during its launch. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the tests were conducted during the first week of March 2023 at the test facilities located at the UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru. These tests are an essential part of the qualification and acceptance process for any spacecraft.
These tests were particularly challenging, considering the fact that the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is a composite of three modules viz. Propulsion Module, Lander Module and the Rover module. The vibration and acoustic tests carried out on the integrated spacecraft have provided sufficient confidence on the structural integrity and survivability in the launch environment, ISRO said.
—IANS

 Indian space agency on Thursday said it had successfully completed the tests to check Chandrayaan-3 -- moon spacecraft -- to withstand the harsh vibration and acoustic environment that the spacecraft would face during its launch. 

Chandrayaan-3 Passes ISRO’s Vibration Tests

Bangalore: In the spirit of producing world-class watches that tell stories from India, Bangalore Watch Company celebrates India's Chandrayaan missions with two new watches called Manzinus and Earthshine. The Manzinus model contains a piece of an outer-space Meteorite stone recovered from Sweden. "India's space ambitions started in the 1970s, our Moon missions did not take off until the 2000s. Unlike USA or USSR, we did not have powerful rockets to take a straight path to the moon, but ISRO's ingenuity led to the Chandrayaan missions use Earth's own gravity to slingshot to the Moon. This was a genius move, and an inspiring story!" said Nirupesh Joshi, Co-founder and Creative Director of the brand. "In 2019, we launched the Apogee collection as a tribute to the Indian space program. We made a limited-edition watch called the Extraterrestrial which contained a dial made of an outer-space Meteorite that we recovered from Sweden. This watch received worldwide acclaim and our owners' community loved it. India's moon missions are inspiring, so we wanted to create a collection for this backstory," said Mercy Amalraj, Co-founder and Head of Ownership Experience. The Manzinus and Earthshine models are made of a high-grade stainless-steel inner core with a Ceramic outer body. Since this is a unique coating combination developed for Bangalore Watch Company, the material is called Cerasteel. The Cerasteel cases are mated with a domed Sapphire crystal, built for 100 Meters of water tightness, and are powered by a Swiss automatic movement. The Manzinus model is named after the Manzinus crater located at the South pole of the Moon. This crater was the planned landing site of the Chandrayaan-2 mission; the Earthshine model is inspired by the faint-brown glow that appears with the crescent moon. To make the Manzinus watch special, the brand has recovered Meteorite rocks from Sweden to form watch dials. Called the Muonionalusta meteorite, these rocks have unique patterns due to millions of years spent in space. Each watch is unique with its own pattern, and no two watches are alike. "Meteorites are outer space rocks, they mostly burn up when entering Earth's atmosphere, but some of them make it through. We found one such rock and worked with our manufacturing partners in Switzerland to make watch dials. Because of the unique patterns on this material, the watches are special and become collector's items," said Nirupesh Joshi. "Our Owners Community spans 35 countries worldwide. They're young professionals who are well travelled and well read. They seek out brands that are special and mean something to them emotionally. Our watches are not just high-quality timepieces built to last a lifetime, they also tell stories that allow our Owners to connect with these watches and make them conversation pieces," said Mercy Amalraj. The Earthshine and Manzinus watches are priced at INR 92,000 and INR 122,000 respectively. They can be pre-ordered on the brand's website www.bangalorewatchco.in starting today. Bangalore Watch Company produces world-class, affordable luxury wristwatches from India. Each collection, produced in limited numbers, tells stories from the Indian Air Force, Indian space program and others from modern-India. Founded in India's watchmaking ground-zero, Bengaluru couple Nirupesh Joshi and Mercy Amalraj left behind their tech-consulting careers overseas. They returned to India to start Bangalore Watch Company™. With a debut in 2018, the brand has built an enthusiastic following around the world, with patrons in over 30 countries. —ANI

 In the spirit of producing world-class watches that tell stories from India, Bangalore Watch Company celebrates India's Chandrayaan missions

Bangalore Watch Company Pays Tribute To ISRO's Chandrayaan Missions With A Watch Containing An Outer Space Meteorite Stone

Chennai: India on Wednesday took another step towards its third moon mission by mating the encapsulated assembly holding the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. “Today (Wednesday) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, the encapsulated assembly containing Chandrayaan-3 is mated with LVM3,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. The LVM3 is India’s heaviest rocket that will carry the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft with a lander and a rover. It will put the spacecraft or orbiter in a designated orbit, and from there, the spacecraft will start its long journey of about 3.84 lakh km towards the moon. The spacecraft carries a lander called Vikram. The lander, in turn, carries a rover called Pragyan. The total weight of the spacecraft is 3,900 kg or 3.9 ton which is a tad lower than the total carrying capacity of the LVM3 rocket. The orbiter or the propulsion module as ISRO named it weighs 2,148 kg, and the lander 1,752 kg, including the rover. Incidentally, the Chandrayaan-2 payload weighed about 3.8 ton with the orbiter weighing 2,379 kg, the Vikram lander 1,471 kg including the Pragyan rover 27 kg. India’s mission to the moon is tentatively slated for July 13 while the launch window is open between July 12 and July 19. “We have the launch window between July 12 and July 19. The exact date has not been finalised,” a senior Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official, not wanting to be named, told IANS. The main purpose of Chandrayaan-3 is to safely land the lander on the moon soil. Following that, the rover will roll out to do the experiments. As regards the changes made in the lander this time as compared to the one that crash landed on the moon during the Chandrayaan-2 mission, the official said the lander will have four motors instead of five. The space agency has also carried out some changes in the software. According to ISRO, the propulsion module has Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the spectral and Polari metric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit. The lander payloads are: Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) to measure the thermal conductivity and temperature; Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) for measuring the seismicity around the landing site; Langmuir Probe (LP) to estimate the plasma density and its variations. A passive Laser Retroreflector Array from NASA is accommodated for lunar laser ranging studies. On the other hand, the rover will carry: Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) for deriving the elemental composition in the vicinity of the landing site, the ISRO said. —IANS

India on Wednesday took another step towards its third moon mission by mating the encapsulated assembly 

Chandrayaan-3 Spacecraft Mated At Top Of India’s Heavy Lift Rocket LVM3

Bengaluru: Director of Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO), S Somanath, has announced that the Chandrayaan-3, India's planned third lunar exploration mission, will be launched on July 14 at 2.35 pm. The ISRO chief made the remark on Day-1 of the Space Economy Leaders Meet held in Bengaluru on Thursday as part of India's G20 Presidency. The meeting saw a discussion on the possibilities of bilateral partnership in sharing space economy. On the launch of Chandrayaan-3, Somanath said, "On July 14 at 2.35 pm, Chandrayaan-3 will lift off and if everything goes well, it will land (on the moon) on August 23...the date is decided based on when is the sunrise on the moon, it will depend on the calculations, but if it gets delayed then we will have to keep the landing for the next month in September." He also said ISRO's prime objective was to enable a safe and soft landing of Chandrayaan-3. "Our main objective is safe and soft landing, all equipment will be fine if it goes safe and there is a soft landing. We are good with the landing system. Rover will come out after landing, rover has 6 wheels, and we are expecting the rover will work for 14 days on the moon...With the support of multiple cameras on the rover we will receive images. We have a solar panel on the rover. We already tested it, and we have good results with the battery," Somanath added. The ISRO chief also informed that partnerships between space agencies, industries, and start-ups were discussed in the meeting. On the challenges in the space economy, he said, "Challenges in the space economy, first and foremost, is it is capital intensive. So you have to invest heavily to create the capability. And the return of investment comes very late." Representatives from 86 space companies took part in the meeting. India's G20 sherpa, Amitabh Kant said India's space economy was experiencing rapid growth with increasing revenue and more commercial actors entering the sector. He added that studies suggest it could become a USD 1 trillion sector in the coming decades. "This exponential growth necessitates support from governments worldwide. That's why we are discussing space as a formal element within the G20 meeting," Kant said. S, Ministry External Affairs, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, said India has more than 400 private space companies working to harness this sector. "We also have a student outreach programme. This programme is designed to cultivate scientific temper among young minds. Space technology can bring immense predictability to the varieties of climate changes, agricultural harvest, food security, natural disasters, and even the distribution of economic drought. These uncertainties unfold the worst impact on developing countries," Singh said. Day-1 of the Space Economy Leaders Meet saw participation from 27 countries and 33 industries. It showcased India's industry capabilities in the space sector. On the concluding day, there will be a session on Space Industry partnership. —ANI

Director of Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO), S Somanath, has announced that the Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3 Will Lift Off On July 14, Will Land On August 23: ISRO Chief At G20 Space Economy Leaders' Meeting

New Delhi (The Hawk): Chandrayaan-3, scheduled to be launched from Sriharikota this week, will make India the fourth country to land its Spacecraft on the surface of the Moon.  Stating this here today in an exclusive interview to a news agency, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent USA visit was marked by significant Space related agreements indicating that the countries which had started their Space journey long before India are today looking up to India as an equal collaborator.  After such a quantum rise in our Space expertise under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's regime, India can no longer wait to be left behind in its march to the Moon, the Minister said.      Dr Jitendra Singh said that Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission of Chandrayaan-2 and is aimed to demonstrate India’s capability in soft landing and roving on the surface of the Moon or the Lunar surface. The complex mission profile, he said, required for the Spacecraft to enter the Moon’s orbit has been executed very precisely. After the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the surface of the Moon, the rover, which has six wheels, will come out and is expected to work for 14 days on the Moon. With the support of multiple cameras on the rover, we will be able to receive images, he said.  Giving full credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for providing an enabling environment for Space workers and taking path-breaking decisions, like unlocking the Space sector for Public Private Partnership (PPP), Dr Jitendra Singh said, based on the current trajectory of growth, India’s space sector could be a 1 Trillion US Dollar economy in the coming years.  Elaborating further, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the primary objectives of Chandrayaan-3 mission are threefold, a) to demonstrate Safe and Soft Landing on Lunar Surface b) to demonstrate Rover roving on the moon and c) to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.  The Minister recalled that the first in the series of Chandrayaan, namely Chandrayaan-1, is credited for having discovered the presence of water on the surface of the Moon, which was a new revelation for the world and even the most premier Space agencies like the USA’s NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) were fascinated by this discovery and used the inputs for their further experiments. Chandrayyan-3, he said, will be operating at the next level. The Spacecraft will use Launch Vehicle Mark-3 developed by ISRO for its launch, he added.  Dr Jitendra Singh said, there is tremendous excitement across the country about the launch of Chandrayaan-3, particularly because Chandrayaan-2 Mission could not yield the desired results because of a lapse just about 13 minutes after Spacecraft began its descent on September 6, 2019. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was personally present at Sriharikota to witness the event.  The Minister said, as a successor to Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3 has undergone a few changes to increase the robustness of the Lander. He said, all these modifications have been subject to exhaustive ground tests and simulations through test beds.  The Lander and Rover module of Chandrayaan-3 is also configured with payloads that would provide data to the scientific community on various properties of Lunar Soil and rocks including its chemical and elemental composition, said Dr Jitendra Singh.

Chandrayaan-3, scheduled to be launched from Sriharikota this week, will make India the fourth country to land its Spacecraft 

Chandrayaan-3, scheduled to be launched from Sriharikota this week: Dr Jitendra

New Delhi (The Hawk): Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space and MoS Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh today said, Chandrayaan-3 will raise the level of India’s international collaborations, particularly in science, technology, innovation and StartUps. The Minister said, USA's NASA and India's ISRO are developing a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation and NASA is today soliciting India’s astronauts. He said, India also signed the Artemis Accords during the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US, which envisages a common vision for Space exploration for the benefit of all humankind. Dr Jitendra Singh was speaking after India and the United States, represented by its Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, today jointly launched the call for collaborative proposals on "Critical and Emerging Technology: Quantum Technologies and Artificial Intelligence for Transforming Lives". The Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) and the Secretariat for USISTEF have designed the program. Dr Jitendra Singh said, the move comes in the wake of PM Modi’s US visit, where he stressed upon a new chapter to bilateral comprehensive and global strategic partnership. The Minister said, he felt happy that both the Indian and US sides have positioned themselves quickly to carry forward the decision of the leaders to the implementation level. Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that the Indo-American engagement has charted a Technology Partnership for the Future with a new direction and a new energy in the AI (America – India) relation in the AI (Artificial Intelligence) era. Dr Jitendra Singh said, among other technology-oriented matters of high relevance, it is heartening to note that President Biden and Prime Minister Modi welcomed the launch of a $2million grant program under the U.S.-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund (USISTEF) for the joint development and commercialization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quantum technologies, and encouraged public-private collaborations to develop high performance computing (HPC) facilities in India. Dr Jitendra Singh informed that India has recently approved the National Quantum Mission (NQM) with an aim to seed, nurture and scale up scientific and industrial R&amp;D and create a vibrant and innovative ecosystem in Quantum Technology (QT). Needless to say, AI has the potential to address the world’s most pressing challenges and presents tremendous opportunities for economic development, he added. Dr Jitendra Singh said, investments in AI and quantum technology would lead to transformative advances in our everyday lives and greatly benefit our social well-being by impacting healthcare, agriculture, climate change and more. He welcomed the transformative potential of the Endowment fund. The call will remain open till August 31, 2023 and will invite promising joint Indo-U.S. technology innovation and entrepreneurial proposals that are commercially viable and socially relevant. It will provide a significant boost to the domestic as well as the US priorities looking at various facets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, MoS PMO

 Chandrayaan-3 Will Raise The Level Of India’s International Collaborations, Particularly In Science, Technology, Innovation And StartUps: Dr Jitendra

Chennai: The countdown for the July 14 afternoon launch of India’s third shot at the moon-Chandrayaan-3- will begin at 1.05 p.m. on Thursday, said a senior official of the Indian space agency.  “The countdown for the Chandrayaan-3 will begin at 1.05 p.m. today (Thursday),” a senior official of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) told IANS.  The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft will be carried by India's heavy lift rocket the 642 ton LVM3.  At 2.35 p.m. on July 14, the three stage LVM3 rocket will blast off from the second launch pad at Sriharikota rocket port in Andhra Pradesh.  During the countdown process, the liquid and cryogenic stages will be fueled up and the rocket systems checked.  While the first rocket’s first stage is powered by solid fuel, the second stage is by liquid fuel and the third and final stage consists of a cryogenic engine powered by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.  At the time of blast off, the 642 ton rocket will be having a total propellant mass of 553.4 ton-all three stages put together.  Just over 16 minutes into its flight, the rocket will eject the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft at an altitude of about 179 km.  After that, the Chandrayaan-3 will begin its own long moon journey of about 3.84 lakh km.  The lander carried by the spacecraft is expected to make a soft-landing on the moon on August 23 or 24.  The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft comprises a propulsion module (weighing 2,148 kg), a lander (1,723.89 kg) and a rover (26 kg), said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).  Incidentally, the Chandrayaan-2 payload weighed about 3.8 ton with the orbiter weighing 2,379 kg, the Vikram lander 1,444 kg, including the Pragyan rover 27 kg. The main purpose of Chandrayaan-3 is to safely land the lander on the moon soil.  Following that a rover will roll out to do the experiments. The life of the payload carried by the propulsion module post ejection of the lander is between three and six months.  On the other hand, the mission life of the lander and the rover is 1 Lunar day or 14 earth days, ISRO said.  According to the Indian space agency, the propulsion module has Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the spectral and Polari metric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit.  The lander payloads are: Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) to measure the thermal conductivity and temperature; Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) for measuring the seismicity around the landing site; Langmuir Probe (LP) to estimate the plasma density and its variations.  A passive Laser Retroreflector Array from NASA is accommodated for lunar laser ranging studies. On the other hand, the rover will carry: Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) for deriving the elemental composition in the vicinity of the landing site, ISRO said.  The Indian space agency said, the moon mission is divided into three phases – the earth centric phase (Pre-Launch, Launch and Ascent and Earth-bound Manoeuvre), the Lunar Transfer Phase (Transfer Trajectory) and the Moon Centric Phase (Lunar Orbit Insertion Phase, Moon-bound Manoeuvre Phase, Propulsion Module and Lunar Module Separation, De-boost Phase, Pre-landing Phase, Landing Phase, Normal Phase for Lander and Rover, Moon Centric Normal Orbit Phase (100 km circular orbit) for Propulsion Module).  During the first phase, India’s heavy lift rocket standing 43.5 metre height and weighing 642 ton LVM3, will carry the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft.  The rocket has an impeccable record of six consecutive successful missions.  This is the fourth operational flight of LVM3, and aims to launch the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft to Geo Transfer Orbit (GTO).  The Friday moon mission is a follow up of the failed Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019 when the lander named Vikram crashed on to the moon surface.  As regards the changes made in the lander this time as compared to the one that crash landed on the moon during the Chandrayaan-2 mission, a senior ISRO official told IANS that the lander has four motors instead of five.  The space agency has also carried out some changes in the software.  Interestingly, ISRO is silent on naming the lander and rover this time around.  During the Chandrayaan-2 mission, the lander was named as Vikram and rover as Pragyan. —IANS

The countdown for the July 14 afternoon launch of India’s third shot at the moon-Chandrayaan-3

Countdown for India’s third moon mission to begin shortly

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi anticipates historic day for India's space sector with Chandrayaan-3 mission"  India is preparing for a momentous occasion on the 14th of July 2023, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch Chandrayaan-3, the country's third lunar mission, with a scheduled liftoff at 2:35 pm on Friday.  In a tweet, the Prime Minister highlighted the significance of this mission, stating that Chandrayaan-3 will carry the aspirations and dreams of the nation. The primary objective of Chandrayaan-3 is to achieve what its predecessor, Chandrayaan-2, could not—the focus will be on accomplishing a soft landing on the lunar surface and conducting exploration with a rover.  If the soft landing is successful, India will join the elite group of countries, including the United States, Russia, and China, to achieve this remarkable feat. The mission will commence with the spacecraft being launched into an Earth orbit at an altitude of 179 km. Subsequently, a series of maneuvers will be executed to progressively increase its orbit and break free from Earth's gravity, propelling it towards the moon.  Once in close proximity to the moon, Chandrayaan-3 will be captured by lunar gravity. The lander, carrying the rover, will then detach from the propulsion module and initiate a powered descent. This intricate process is expected to take approximately 42 days, with the landing anticipated to occur around August 23 during the lunar dawn.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi anticipates historic day for India's space sector with Chandrayaan-3 mission

PM Narendra Modi anticipates historic Chandrayaan-3 launch, a significant day for India's space sector

Chennai: India’s heavy lift rocket-LVM3 carrying the 3,897.89 kg Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft blasted off from the Sriharikota spaceport on Friday afternoon.  At about 2.35 p.m. the LVM3 rocket breaking free from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) here began ascending towards the skies with a strong deep growl that reverberated like a thunder roll.  The 43.5 metre tall rocket weighing about 642 ton furiously rushed towards the skies with thick orange flame leaving behind an anaconda like long and thick white smoke.  The rocket is nicknamed as `Bahubali’ as like the well built hero in the successful film lifting a heavy Lingam, the rocket carries the 3.8-tonne Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft.  Just over 16 minutes into its flight, the rocket will sling the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft into lunar polar orbit.  From there it will be a long journey for Chandrayaan-3 as the distance between the earth and the moon is about 3.844 lakh km.  The Indian space agency will raise the spacecraft by a series of manoeuvres to put it on Lunar Transfer Trajectory.  The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft comprises a propulsion module (weighing 2,148 kg), a lander (1,723.89 kg) and a rover (26 kg), the ISRO said.  Incidentally, the Chandrayaan-2 payload also weighed about 3.8 ton with the orbiter weighing 2,379 kg, the Vikram lander 1,444 kg, including the Pragyan rover 27 kg.  During the Chandrayaan-2 mission ISRO had named the lander as Vikram in memory of country's space pioneer Vikram Sarabhai and rover Pragyan means wisdom in Sanskrit.  But this time around, ISRO has not officially named the lander and the rover.  Be that as it may, ISRO said the propulsion module has Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the spectral and Polari metric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit.  The lander payloads are: Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) to measure the thermal conductivity and temperature; Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) for measuring the seismicity around the landing site; Langmuir Probe (LP) to estimate the plasma density and its variations.  A passive Laser Retroreflector Array from NASA is accommodated for lunar laser ranging studies.  On the other hand, the rover will carry: Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) for deriving the elemental composition in the vicinity of the landing site, ISRO said.  The Indian space agency said, the moon mission is divided into three phases – the earth centric phase (Pre-Launch, Launch and Ascent and Earth-bound Manoeuvre), the Lunar Transfer Phase (Transfer Trajectory), and the Moon Centric Phase (Lunar Orbit Insertion Phase, Moon-bound Manoeuvre Phase, Propulsion Module and Lunar Module Separation, De-boost Phase, Pre-landing Phase, Landing Phase, Normal Phase for Lander and Rover, Moon Centric Normal Orbit Phase -100 km circular orbit- for Propulsion Module).  During the first phase, the LVM3 rocket will carry the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft to space.  Till date, the LVM3 rocket has an impeccable record of six consecutive successful missions. This is the fourth operational flight of LVM3, and aims to launch the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft to Geo Transfer Orbit (GTO).  The lander will get separated from the propulsion module a couple of days after it enters lunar orbit and is expected to make a soft-landing near the South Pole of the moon on August 23 or 24.  The lander will descend to the moon from a height of about 100 km from the moon’s surface.  The soft landing is a tricky issue as it involves a series of complex manoeuvres consisting of rough and fine braking.  Imaging of the landing site region prior to landing will be done for finding safe and hazard-free zones.  Subsequent to the soft landing, the six-wheeled rover will roll out and carry out experiments on the lunar surface for a period of one lunar day which is equal to 14 Earth days.  The life of the payloads carried by the propulsion module post ejection of the lander is between three and six months.  On the other hand, the mission life of the lander and the rover is 1 Lunar day or 14 earth days, ISRO said.  The success of Chandrayaan-3 mission – soft landing by the lander- will make India the fourth country in the world to land and ride on the Moon surface after the US, Russia and China.  India launched its first Moon mission Chandrayaan-1 in October 2008 using its light rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the second mission was on July 22, 2019 with the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mk III now renamed as LVM3.  The third moon mission is a follow up of the failed Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019 as the lander Vikram crashed on to the moon surface.  As regards the changes made in the lander this time as compared to the one that crash landed on the moon during the Chandrayaan-2 mission, a senior ISRO official told IANS that the lander has four motors instead of five.  The space agency has also carried out some changes in the software.  The LVM3 with a capacity to carry four tons, is a three stage/engine rocket with two strap-on motors powered by solid fuel. The second stage is a core liquid fuel booster and the third is the cryogenic engine. —IANS

India’s heavy lift rocket-LVM3 carrying the 3,897.89 kg Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft blasted off from the Sriharikota 

India’s 'Bahubali' rocket LVM3 lifts off with Chandrayaan-3

New Delhi (The Hawk): The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has underlined the significance of Chandrayaan-3, India's third lunar mission.  In a tweet thread, the Prime Minister said :  "14th July 2023 will always be etched in golden letters as far as India’s space sector is concerned. Chandrayaan-3, our third lunar mission, will embark on its journey. This remarkable mission will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation.  Chandrayaan-3 will be inserted into the Lunar Transfer Trajectory after the orbit raising maneuvers. Covering over 300,000 km, it will reach the Moon in the coming weeks. Scientific instruments onboard will study the Moon’s surface and enhance our knowledge.  Thanks to our scientists, India has a very rich history in the space sector. Chandrayaan-1 is considered to be a path breaker among global lunar missions as it confirmed the presence of water molecules on the moon. It featured in over 200 scientific publications around the world.  Till Chandrayaan-1, the moon was believed to be a bone-dry, geologically inactive and uninhabitable celestial body. Now, it is seen as a dynamic and geologically active body with the presence of water and sub-surface ice. Maybe in the future, it can be potentially inhabited!  Chandrayaan-2 was equally pathbreaking because data from the Orbiter associated with it detected the presence of chromium, manganese and sodium for the first time through remote sensing. This will also provide more insights into the moon’s magmatic evolution.  The key scientific outcomes from Chandrayaan 2 include the first ever global map for lunar sodium, enhancing knowledge on crater size distribution, unambiguous detection of lunar surface water ice with IIRS instrument and more. This Mission has featured in almost 50 publications.  Best wishes for Chandrayaan-3 mission! I urge you all to know more about this Mission and the strides we have made in space, science and innovation. It will make you all very proud."

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has underlined the significance of Chandrayaan-3, India's  third lunar mission

Chandrayaan-3 will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation: PM

Chennai: A special puja was conducted at the Chandranaar Temple, in Thingalur near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu for the success of India’s third moon mission Chandrayaan-3.  The Chandranaar Temple is one of the Navagraha temples, all located near Kumbakonam, and devotees pray at these temples to get rid of negative planetary influence on them.  While the presiding deity at the temple is Soma (Moon), the main deity is Lord Shiva. “A yagna was held. It was followed by `Annadhanam’ or free food for about 100 persons,” V. Kannan, Retired Manager at the Sri Kailasanathar Temple or Chandranaar Temple told IANS on Friday.   The special puja was organised by the National Temples Federation, its Deputy General Secretary D. Govindharaju said.  An Indian rocket LVM3 will lift off at 2.35 p.m. on Friday carrying Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. The spacecraft in turn holds a lander and a rover. The primary purpose of this mission is to soft land the lander on the moon and the rover to do some experiments on the moon soil.  This is the third time special prayers are being arranged for the success of Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) moon mission.  A special puja was also organised for the success of Chandrayaan-1 before the rocket lifted off in 2008, Kannan said.  Interestingly, prior to the second moon mission – Chandrayaan-2- special prayers were not arranged. The launch originally slated for July 15, 2019 got postponed due to technical glitch.  According to Kannan, the glitch it was thought may be due to the non-offering of the prayers to the Moon God. Hence, prior to the Chandrayaan-2 launch on July 22, special prayers, ‘Abhishekam’ and ‘Annadhanam’ were conducted.  Kannan said the special prayers were their contribution for India going forward in its scientific programme.  Around 500 devotees come to the Chandranaar Temple daily and on Mondays the number goes up to 5,000, he added.  The nine Navagraha temples are: Suryanaar (Sun), Chandranaar (Moon), Angaragan (Mars), Budhan (Mercury), Guru (Jupiter), Sukran (Venus), Shani (Saturn), Rahu and Ketu. —IANS

A special puja was conducted at the Chandranaar Temple, in Thingalur near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu 

Seeking Moon God’s blessings for India’s moon mission, special prayers held in TN

Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh ): On Friday, July 14, 2023, India launched its ambitious third lunar mission Chandrayaan 3, eyeing a rare feat in moon exploration.
This has been so far accomplished only by the United States, China and the former Soviet Union.
At 14;35;17, the Indian Space Research Organisation's third lunar expedition, Chandrayaan 3 embarked on its month-long journey towards the moon, piggybacking on ISRO's latest heavy lift launch vehicle, 'Fat boy' LVM3-M4, from the spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
—REDIFF NEWS

On Friday, July 14, 2023, India launched its ambitious third lunar mission Chandrayaan 3

Chandrayaan-3 Heads For The Moon

Hyderabad: ISRO chairman S Somanath remarked on Saturday that he thinks of rockets as babies, expressing his profound love and affinity with the launch vehicles.
Somanath expressed his delight at Friday's Phase-I launch of Chandrayaan-3, remarking on "how beautiful the rocket was" and saying he had read all the data.
ISRO successfully launched its third moon mission on Friday; this time, it will take 41 days to travel to the lunar south pole, a destination no country has ever reached before. The difficult soft landing on the lunar surface, which Chandrayaan-2 was unable to do, has been scheduled for 5:47 p.m. on August 23, according to the space agency.—Inputs from Agencies

ISRO chairman S Somanath remarked on Saturday that he thinks of rockets as babies, expressing his profound love and affinity with the launch vehicles.

I consider rockets like a baby, says ISRO chairman S Somanath after successful launch of Chandrayaan-3

Chennai: Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Atomic Energy, and Space Jitendra Singh stated on Saturday that countries that have studied the Moon up to this point could not receive those data that were procured through Chandrayaan missions.
According to him, India is now a world leader in space technology because to the Chandrayaan mission carried out by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
On July 14, ISRO successfully launched the third iteration of its Moon exploration plan from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, with the intention of performing a soft landing on the Moon's as-yet-unvisited South Pole.
"Although we began our space journey much later than the other countries, those who landed before us could not procure those findings which were obtained by Chandrayaan (missions)," Singh remarked.
He told reporters that the Chandrayaan-3 mission would continue those trials, which raise the prospect of human settlements on the Moon in the far future.
Singh, who saw the successful launch of the Chandrayaan-3 mission on July 14 from Sriharikota, some 135 kilometres from Chennai, said that India would profit on numerous fronts from the results of the Moon mission.
In terms of space technology and the space industry, "it" (Chandrayaan-3) "has placed India as the leading global player," he remarked.
The idea for the Chandrayaan mission originated at the heart of government, and on August 15, 2003, it was publicly announced by the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
While the simpler Chandrayaan-1 mission was launched in October 2008, the more complicated Chandrayaan-2 mission, which carried an orbiter, lander (Vikram), and rover (Pragyan), was designed to investigate the Moon's uncharted South Pole. A soft landing on the Moon's surface was planned for the mission, but before it could begin, scientists lost contact with the lander.—Inputs from Agencies

Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Atomic Energy, and Space Jitendra Singh stated on Saturday that countries that have studied the Moon up to this point could not receive those data that were procured through Chandrayaan missions.

India became a space technology's global player through the Chandrayaan missions: Jitendra Singh

Bengaluru: The second orbit-raising manoeuvre (Earth-bound apogee firing) of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was completed by the Indian Space Research Organisation with great success.
On Monday, the country's space agency said that the spacecraft had entered an orbit measuring 41603 kilometres by 226 kilometres.
The following firing is scheduled for Tuesday between the hours of 2 and 3. which it said.
On July 14, they sent off the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on a trip to the Moon.—Inputs from Agencies

The second orbit-raising manoeuvre (Earth-bound apogee firing) of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was completed by the Indian Space Research Organisation with great success.

ISRO successfully performs second orbit-raising manoeuvre of Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft

Chennai: India’s moon-bound spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3, travelled further towards its destination with the Indian space agency on Tuesday raising its orbit further for the fifth time. On August 1, the Chandrayaan-3 will take the 'moon spaceway’ when the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will guide it to the TransLunar Injection (TLI). On Tuesday, the ISRO said: "The orbit-raising maneuver (Earth-bound perigee firing) is performed successfully from ISTRAC/ISRO, Bengaluru. The spacecraft is expected to attain an orbit of 127609 km x 236 km. The achieved orbit will be confirmed after the observations." "The next firing, the TransLunar Injection (TLI), is planned for August 1, 2023, between 12 midnight and 1 am IST," the ISRO said. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was put into orbit on July 15, in a copybook style by India’s heavy lift rocket LVM3. On the same day, the first orbit raising was done and the second orbit raising was carried out on July 17. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft comprises a propulsion module (weighing 2,148 kg), a lander (1,723.89 kg), and a rover (26 kg), the ISRO said. The main object of the mission is to safely land the lander on the lunar soil. The lander will get separated from the propulsion module a couple of days after it enters lunar orbit and is expected to make a soft-landing near the South Pole of the moon at 5.47 p.m. on August 23. The lander will descend to the moon from a height of about 100 km from the moon’s surface. The soft landing is a tricky issue as it involves a series of complex manoeuvres consisting of rough and fine braking. Imaging of the landing site region prior to landing will be done for finding safe and hazard-free zones. Subsequent to the soft landing, the six-wheeled rover will roll out and carry out experiments on the lunar surface for a period of one lunar day which is equal to 14 Earth days. —IANS

India’s moon-bound spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3, travelled further towards its destination with the Indian space agency on Tuesday

Moon-Bound Chandrayaan-3 Gets Farther From The Earth On Voyage

Chennai: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday successfully injected the Chandrayaan 3 -- spacecraft to the moon -- into the TransLunar orbit, an official said. "Chandrayaan-3 completes its orbits around the earth and heads towards the moon. A successful perigee-firing performed at ISTRAC, ISRO has injected the spacecraft into the translunar orbit. Next stop: the Moon. As it arrives at the moon, the Lunar-Orbit Insertion (LOI) is planned for August 5, 2023," ISRO tweeted.
Translunar orbit injection is the process whereby the moon-bound spacecraft is put into a trajectory so that it can reach the moon.
The Indian space agency said it will carry out the LOI process on August 5, 2023.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was put into orbit on July 14, 2023, in a copybook style by India's heavy lift rocket LVM3.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft comprises a propulsion module (weighing 2,148 kg), a lander (1,723.89 kg) and a rover (26 kg).
The main object of the mission is to safely land the lander on the lunar soil.
The lander will get separated from the propulsion module a couple of days after it enters lunar orbit.
The lander is expected to make a soft-landing near the South Pole of the moon on August 23 evening at 5.47 p.m.
The lander will descend to the moon from a height of about 100 km from the moon's surface.
The soft landing is a tricky issue as it involves a series of complex manoeuvres consisting of rough and fine braking.
Imaging of the landing site region prior to landing will be done for finding safe and hazard-free zones.
Subsequent to the soft landing, the six-wheeled rover will roll out and carry out experiments on the lunar surface for a period of one lunar day which is equal to 14 earth days.
--IANS

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday successfully injected the Chandrayaan 3 -- spacecraft to the moon

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