An artist’s illustration showcases India’s Vikram moon lander, as the country sets out to accomplish the historic feat of landing a spacecraft on the moon’s south pole on Wednesday. The image is courtesy of the Indian Space Research Organization/EPA-EFE.
Aug. 23 (UPI) — India is making meticulous preparations for a soft landing in the south pole region of the moon on Wednesday, in a groundbreaking endeavor that would establish it as the first country to achieve this milestone.
The Indian Space Research Organization aims to successfully land the unmanned Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the lunar surface at approximately 8:34 a.m. EDT. The live stream of this exciting attempt can be followed through YouTube. The venture comes shortly after a robotic Russian spacecraft lost control and crashed while carrying out a similar mission.
If this endeavor is successful, India will rank in the prestigious league of the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China as the only nations to accomplish a soft landing on the moon. Additionally, India will pioneer the feat of landing on the south pole, which has garnered significant scientific interest due to the potential presence of frozen ice. This ice could serve as a crucial resource for drinking water and the production of fuel and oxygen, making it conducive for sustaining life in that region.
At the heart of Chandrayaan-3’s mission lies its lander, named Vikram, which carries a lunar rover designed to conduct chemical analysis of the moon’s unique polar surface. The objective is to validate various theories related to the existence of frozen water and other elements.
While NASA’s Artemis program intends to return astronauts to the moon in 2025, India and Russia have been engaged in a race to be the first to reach the south pole. However, Russia’s recent mission failure has now placed Roscosmos considerably behind in this pursuit.
Notably, images released by the Indian space agency over the weekend illustrate craters on the moon’s surface, enabling them to navigate potential hazards. The unsuccessful attempts made by Japan, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates to land safely on the moon before Russia’s mishap further highlight the complexity and risks associated with such a landing.
