Landing a spacecraft into the lunar surface: Challenges and opportunities for Indian scientists and technologists after Russia’s recent successful Moon landing

“The recent crash of Russia’s Luna 25 spacecraft is a stark reminder of just how difficult it is to land successfully on the Moon,” says Marc Norman, planetary geochemist at the Australian National University in Canberra. Lunar landers from Israel and Japan have also crashed while attempting controlled landings on the Moon. In the past few years, only China and Chang’e missions have successfully landed on the Moon. the United States and Soviet Union have been involved in lunar exploration.

India’s partially successful 2019 mission successfully launched an object with eight functioning instruments. The Moon lander crashed into the lunar surface in the final moments of landing.

The accomplishment is a “powerful, emphatic restatement of India’s growing global stature and capability in science and technology”, says cosmologist Tarun Souradeep who directs the Raman Research Institute in Bengaluru, India. It will inspire Indian scientists “to step forward and play lead roles in the emergent and inevitable global quest for Moon-based scientific and technological enterprise.”

The ISRO chairman said that the landing gave him confidence in setting up missions to the Moon, Mars, Venus, and even asteroids.

These include a new laser sensor to measure the real-time velocity of the spacecraft relative to the Moon, algorithms to handle unanticipated deviations in propulsion or trajectory and better judge the landing terrain, bigger and more solar panels, more fuel, a heavier lander equipped with four sturdier legs to handle a faster landing velocity.

In particular, it requires putting the spacecraft into a polar orbit that is at right angles to the Moon’s orbit, says Norman. The additional energy to move the vehicle into an unnatural position introduces some uncertainties on critical aspects of the craft, including its location.

Norman says there is a lack of detailed data on the region’s gravity and surface characteristics. “For example, if the spacecraft lands in a crater, on a slope, or the leg of the lander catches on a boulder, the mission could be compromised.”

Moon earthquakes near the area add complexity because of the cliffs that were found in two craters, according to the geology team at the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Poor lighting from the Sun is another challenge. The University of Colorado Boulder’s Torin Clark says that the light and dark areas are 888-609- 888-609- 888-609- 888-609- 888-609- 888-609- “This is in contrast to the Apollo landings, where the landing sites and timing were specifically chosen to ensure quality lighting of the lunar terrain” such as rocks and craters.

Chandrayaan-3: A Star-Forming Journey for India’s Space Mission and for its First Mission to Study the Sun

Chandrayaan-3’s success comes about a week before ISRO’s next major mission — its first to study the Sun — which is scheduled to launch in the first week of September.

The small rover was deployed by the mission’s landing module which is named after a physicist known for his work in India’s space programme. The solar-powered mission is meant to last for two weeks, until lunar night hits this part of the surface.

The failure of Russia’s Moonshot was caused by the country’s lack of lunar expertise, according to Yury Borisov, director-general of the Russian space agency. ISRO, by contrast, has steadily built on its achievements, including ramping up its engineering talent, although it has declined to reveal how much — or how little — it spent on Chandrayaan-3.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was with millions of people watching the descent, said it was for all of humanity. It is also undoubtedly a stellar achievement for India’s scientists and engineers across many generations.