Chandrayaan-1 was a major success in the lunar studies spectrum as it was the first spacecraft to determine that there were water molecules on the surface of the Moon. Now, its successor, Chandrayaan-3 has scripted history by becoming the first lunar project to have a soft landing in the Southern pole of the Moon.
Here are 5 lesser-known fact about Chandrayaan-3 that highlight the magnitude and the prominence of this history-making project that was executed by ISRO.
1. India is now the only country with a safe soft landing in the Southern pole of the Moon. All other spacecrafts had landed a few degrees off the North or the South pole for technical reasons. India has now created history.
2. This voyage will go on for 40 days as Chandrayaan is equipped with a lander named Vikram and a Rover that has been named Pragyan. Pragyan will make a touchdown on the moon in a few hours and then transmit vital information to ISRO.
3. Maximum possible weight load. Chandrayaan-3 had a total weight load of 3900 Kilos, meaning it had a near full capacity of the total weight load of the GSLV MK III rocket.
4. One of the cheapest lunar projects. ISRO spent around Rs 650 crores on the Chandrayaan-3 project which is relatively one of the cheapest projects, compared to the costs involved with the space projects of other countries. India has set a unique record on this front.
5. India will now be only the second nation to have an active Rover on the moon's surface. Pragyan Rover will share the surface with a Chinese Rover on the moon's surface.
