Chandrayaan-3: ISRO completes major test of India's 3rd expedition to the Moon

The Chandrayaan-3 mission has passed a major hurdle as ISRO successfully completed the Integrated Module Dynamic Tests. As part of the test, which was carried out at the UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was subjected to intense vibrations and sound similar to what it would experience during the rocket launch. Such tests are a standard procedure before launching a spacecraft to validate whether it is durable enough to survive a rocket launch to space. According to ISRO, the test was conducted in the first week of March. 

(The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft at the U R Rao space centre; Image: ISRO)

(Image: ISRO)

"These tests were particularly challenging, considering the fact that the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is a composite of three modules viz. Propulsion Module, Lander Module and the Rover module," an official statement by the agency read. "The vibration and acoustic tests carried out on the integrated spacecraft has provided sufficient confidence on the structural integrity and survivability in the launch environment," it further read. 

India's 3rd lunar mission targeted for launch in June

Chandrayaan-3, which is India's third expedition to the Moon, is targeted for launch in mid-2023. Agency chief S Somanath, in October last year, said that the mission will be launched in the month of June which could be possible if there are no delays owing to technical hurdles. Back then, Somanath said that the final integration and testing are "almost complete" and a launch in June is what scientists are aiming for. 

Chandrayaan-3 comprises of three major components out of which the lander-rover combination has a life span of one lunar day or 14 Earth days. The mission overall is dedicated to investigate the variation in near-surface plasma density, measuring thermal properties of the lunar surface, measuring seismicity around the landing site in the south pole and ultimately understand the dynamics of the Moon. Prior to this, there was the Chandrayaan-2 mission which launched on July 22 in 2019. Mission controllers were successful in injecting an orbiter in the lunar orbit but failed to land a rover after losing communication just few km above the surface.

Chandrayaan-1, on the other hand, was India's debut mission to the Moon that launched on October 22, 2008, and concluded in 2009 after communications with the orbital spacecraft was lost on August 29 of the same year. The orbiter carried 11 instruments with contributions from the US, the UK, Germany, Sweden and Bulgaria and it made more than 3,400 orbits in its lifetime.