Dr.S.Somanath, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), stated that India’s third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, is nearly complete, with the satellite fully integrated and ruggedisation tests completed.
He also stated that the launch would have to take place during a specific launch window (timeline), with the best opportunity falling between June and July 2023.
The Launch Vehicle Mark-3, India’s heaviest rocket, would carry out the mission (LVM3).
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The Chandryaan-2 mission was unable to perform a controlled lunar landing in 2019. (it had crash landed).
Following this, ISRO took a number of steps to ensure that the third Lunar mission could achieve what its predecessor could not.
These measures include software changes, propulsion system changes, new sensors, and ruggedization to deal with unexpected situations and failures. All of these efforts, according to Somanath, will improve the mission’s dependability.
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Notably, unlike its predecessor, which carried an orbiter, lander, and rover, the Chandrayaan-3 mission will only carry a Lunar lander and rover.