The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) sometimes reminds me of that determined front-bench nerd from Science class, the one who would constantly be spotted with their nose in their textbook, gulping down every minute detail with big dreams of being the class topper. And just because they didn’t score as well as they had prepped for, doesn’t mean they aren’t going to work harder and better for the next test.
Chandrayaan-2 was ISRO’s first attempt at aiming for the stars, or at least the moon, and even though things didn’t go quite as planned—with the team losing contact with the moon rover just a few moments before it was about to make a soft-landing—they still aren’t backing down from leaving an Indian imprint on the moon.
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Just a few hours after ISRO dropped stunning three-dimensional photos mapping the structure of the moon and an impact crater, captured by the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter—the one part that survived the crash landing—they announced that come November 2020, India will once again attempt to land on the moon, taking into account tiny details to ensure that this time around, everything goes smoothly.
For this hopeful mission, scientists, engineers and the team at ISRO have enlisted various committees to figure out the best way to build a brand-new rover and lander, the two parts of the satellite that had failed and resulted in the setback earlier this year. However, since a functioning orbiter continues to loom out there, Chandrayaan 3 will be reusing the same one for its upcoming mission. Which is pretty great considering we all could use a lesson in reusing and recycling.
According to Firstpost, a “detachable module” termed the “propulsion module” will be sent along with the satellite, carrying with it the engine and enough stores of fuel to keep it going for days. This report also says that this mission will make fewer orbital manoeuvers, unlike its predecessor which went around the earth and moon’s orbit six times before it tried to stick the landing. So as ISRO gears up to once again carve out history and a name for India in the space race, we wish it luck to the moon and back.
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