Dr. Vishal Sharma
“There is no such thing as failure in the universe”
Swami Vivekananda
In the past one-and-a-half-decades, there has been a renewed interest in exploring the Moon. Dubbed Chandrayaan-3 (“Moon vehicle” in Sanskrit), the spacecraft includes the lander Vikram (named after the father of the Indian space program Vikram Sarabhai) and the rover Pragyan (“wisdom” in Sanskrit).
Why do we want to go to the moon?
According to ISRO, the Moon, being the closest cosmic body to Earth, provides a unique opportunity for space exploration and documentation. It is also considered a promising test bed for demonstrating technologies required for future deep-space missions. Additionally, going to the moon can stimulate technological advancements, foster global alliances, and inspire future generations of explorers and scientists.After the last Apollo mission in the early 1970s, there was a complete lull regarding sending spacecraft there as everything that could be done on the Moon with the technology of that time had been done. However, in the 1990s, the interest in lunar missions began to resurface, and it gained momentum after India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission discovered the presence of water on the lunar surface in 2008.
Chandrayaan-3, which is India’s third lunar mission, is a continuation of the Chandrayaan-2 mission launched in September 2019. The previous mission experienced a problem with the onboard computer and propulsion system, resulting in a failed soft landing and a crash on the moon’s surface. The Chandrayaan-3 mission, which took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota on Friday (July 14) 2:35 pm, is India’s third lunar mission that aims to achieve a successful soft landing on the moon, following a “failure-based design” approach to identify potential issues and ensure a safe landing. This whole process is likely to take around 42 days, with the landing slated for August 23 at the lunar dawn. If successful, India will be only the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, after the US, the former Soviet Union and China. The mission objectives of Chandrayaan-3 include demonstrating a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, showcasing rover mobility on the moon, and conducting in-situ scientific experiments.
It is intriguing to understand how Chandrayaan-3based on ISRO’s “failure-based design”, can lead to successful landing?
What are the Chandrayaan missions?
India’s Chandrayaan missions are focused on lunar exploration, beginning with Chandrayaan-1,which was launched on October 22, 2008. According to ISRO, the primary scientific objective of the mission was to create a comprehensive three-dimensional atlas of both the near and far sides of the Moon. Additionally, it aimed to conduct detailed chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface with high spatial resolution.A significant accomplishment of Chandrayaan-1 was the utilization of indigenously developed technology. On November 14, 2008, a payload known as the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) was deployed from the spacecraft and deliberately impacted the lunar South Pole in a controlled manner. This event enabled India to make noteworthy discoveries concerning the presence of water (H2O) and hydroxyl (OH) on the lunar surface. The data also indicated an increased abundance of these substances towards the polar region. Furthermore, ice was found in the North polar region of the Moon.Overall, Chandrayaan-1 not only fulfilled its scientific objectives but also demonstrated India’s capability in developing and executing successful lunar missions.
What happened with Chandrayaan-2?
Chandrayaan-2 was a mission that aimed to explore the south pole of the Moon using an Orbiter(to orbit the planetary body and not land on it), Lander (to land on its surface), and Rover (to move on the surface). It was launched in July 2019 with the objective of studying the lunar surface in detail. However, the mission encountered a partial success as the lander named Vikram and the rover named Pragyaan crashed on the Moon’s surface on September 7 of the same year. During the descent, Vikram was intended to gradually reduce its velocity as it approached within 400 meters of the lunar surface. Unfortunately, due to system errors, it maintained a high velocity, leading to the crash landing. Despite this setback, the Orbiter functioned as intended and successfully collected valuable data.The Orbiter detected signatures of water at various latitudes across the lunar surface, contributing to our understanding of water distribution on the Moon.While Chandrayaan-2 experienced challenges during the landing phase, the mission’s setbacks have provided valuable lessons for future lunar exploration endeavors.
What does Chandrayaan-3 aim to do?
The primary objective of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is to showcase India’s advancing technical capabilities in the field of space exploration and accomplish a successful soft landing on the Moon. A soft landing refers to the challenging process of decelerating a spacecraft, which is hurtling through space at speeds around 10 times faster than an airplane, to nearly a standstill in order to gently land on the lunar surface. Importantly, this feat is achieved autonomously, without any human intervention, and within a few minutes. It is noteworthy that the landing site chosen for the Chandrayaan-3 mission is similar to that of Chandrayaan-2, situated near the lunar south pole at approximately 70 degrees latitude. If all goes according to plan, Chandrayaan-3 will become the first mission in the world to achieve a soft landing near the lunar south pole. This ambitious endeavor aims to further our understanding of the Moon’s south pole region and demonstrate India’s pioneering role in lunar exploration.
Why land near the south pole?
According to space agencies such as ISRO and NASA, the lunar south pole presents a challenging environment for human landing, habitation, and work due to its extreme and contrasting conditions. However, this region’s unique characteristics offer the potential for groundbreaking scientific discoveries in deep space exploration. Space agencies also emphasizes the significance of Lunar polar volatiles, which are chemical elements or compounds that exist in a solid state but can melt or evaporate at moderately warm temperatures. These volatiles have been identified on the Moon, and space missions are crucial in understanding their distribution on the moon. The presence of elements like Hydrogen and Oxygen within these lunar volatiles has profound implications for the future of deep space exploration and commercial activities. If these resources are abundant, it would significantly reduce the amount of supplies that need to be transported from Earth to sustain human presence in deep space. This potential availability of essential elements on the Moon could revolutionize the way we approach long-duration space missions and pave the way for sustainable deep space exploration and commerce.
Succeeding through Failure:
ISRO has chosen a “failure-based design” approach for the second attempt of Chandrayaan-3 to ensure a successful landing on the moon, even in the event of potential issues. The mission comprises an indigenous propulsion module, lander module, and rover, with the goal of developing and demonstrating new technologies necessary for inter-planetary missions.The Vikram lander of Chandrayaan-3 weighs approximately 1,752 kilograms, equivalent to a small car and around 280 kilograms heavier than its predecessor. This additional weight primarily stems from extra precautions implemented by ISRO following the previous unsuccessful landing in 2019. Vikram now carries more fuel to maintain its intended trajectory towards the lunar surface and incorporates an array of redundancies and safeguards to enable a graceful touchdown. These enhancements include reinforced legs to absorb mechanical shocks upon landing, an improved velocity sensor for precise navigation measurements, and software upgrades to accommodate potential sensor failures.
Moreover, Chandrayaan-3 has been equipped with an increased amount of fuel, enhancing its capability for travel, dispersion management, or even relocation to an alternate landing site if required. The Vikram lander now features additional solar panels on different surfaces to ensure power generation regardless of its orientation upon landing. Extensive testing has been conducted, including flying the spacecraft over diverse terrains using a helicopter to assess its ability to withstand vibrations, and employing cranes to simulate landing processes.
ISRO’s adoption of a “failure-based design” for Chandrayaan-3 reflects their intention to bolster the mission’s resilience, enhance the ability to overcome potential obstacles, and ultimately maximize the likelihood of a successful landing. The inspiring journey of our Indian scientists, who have achieved success through learning from failure, is a powerful source of motivation for the younger generation. It reminds us not to be disheartened by setbacks but rather to face them with optimism and a positive mindset. As the saying goes, “learning from failure is a stepping stone towards success.”
(The author is HOD Electronics, Govt. M.A.M College Jammu and Fulbright Climate Fellow, USA, Commonwealth Fellow, UK)
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