Chandrayaan-3 is ready for launch and it will take place in July, informed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somnath on Wednesday. He says, “Currently the Chandrayaan 3 spacecraft is fully integrated. We have completed the testing…Currently, the window of opportunity for launch is between 12-19th July…We will announce the exact date after all the tests are completed…”
ISRO chief S Somnath said, “We are looking at Artemis Accord as a political engagement with the US. It is a statement of Intent that when the US is proposing collaborative work in the space sector, especially exploration of outer planets in a cordial atmosphere between different nations, we agree with that. We would like to work with the US, especially on technologies that are high-end. It will open opportunities for Indian industries that are working in space sector to work with the US companies that are equally working in the space sector…”
This is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. It has a lander and rover configuration.
Chandrayaan-3 will be launched by the Launch Vehicle Mark-III from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota and this is scheduled for July 13 at 2:30 pm, according to the officials.
The propulsion module will carry the lander and rover configuration till 100 km lunar orbit. It has a Spectro-Polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth payload to study the spectral and polarimetric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit.