Breaking News: India's Daring Moon Landing Attempt LIVE! Will Chandrayaan-3 Defy Odds and Touch Down Safely?

• Chandrayaan-3 Updates:

The upcoming ISRO mission is poised to create history by becoming the first to successfully land on the lunar south pole. If all goes according to plan, India will join the exclusive ranks of nations that have achieved a soft lunar landing.

Live Coverage of Chandrayaan-3's Moon Landing:

Following a 40-day journey that commenced at the Sathish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission is now in the final stages of preparation for its lunar landing. Barring any complications, the Vikram lander is anticipated to execute a gentle lunar touchdown at 6.04 PM IST on August 23. Viewers can tune in to the live stream of the landing, starting at 5.27 PM IST.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:

A direct continuation of the 2019 Chandrayaan-2 mission, which witnessed the Vikram lander's unfortunate crash on the lunar surface, the Chandrayaan-3 mission has a clear objective: to demonstrate ISRO's capability to achieve a soft landing on the Moon.

Potential Membership in an Exclusive Lunar Landing Club:

If successful, India will join the select group of countries that have successfully achieved soft landings on the Moon. As of now, this exclusive group consists of the United States, the Soviet Union, and China. An interesting parallel can be drawn with Russia's recent Luna-25 mission, which aimed for a lunar south pole landing but, unfortunately, experienced a crash similar to Chandrayaan-2.

• The Four Landing Phases:

The culmination of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, often referred to as the "15 minutes of terror," involves four crucial phases:

1. Rough Braking Phase: The lander's horizontal velocity must be gradually reduced from around 6,000 kilometers per hour to nearly zero for a soft landing.

2. Attitude Holding Phase: As the lander reaches an altitude of approximately 7.43 kilometers above the lunar surface, it will transition from a horizontal to a vertical orientation while covering a distance of 3.48 kilometers.

3. Fine Braking Phase: Lasting about 175 seconds, this phase entails the lander covering around 28.52 kilometers horizontally to reach the designated landing site while decreasing its altitude by about 1 kilometer. Notably, Chandrayaan-2 faced challenges between the Attitude Holding and Fine Braking Phases.

4. Terminal Descent: The final stage involves the fully vertical lander descending onto the Moon's surface.

•  Lessons from Chandrayaan-2's Landing:

In the Chandrayaan-2 mission of 2019, the Vikram lander encountered control issues at an altitude of around 7.2 kilometers above the lunar surface. Communication systems relayed this setback when the lander was approximately 400 meters from the surface. Ultimately, the lander managed to slow down to a speed of about 580 kilometers per hour before impact.

• The Critical Moments Ahead:

While much of the Chandrayaan-3 mission's trajectory mirrors that of the 2019 Chandrayaan-2 mission, its fate hinges on the final 15 minutes. During this time, the Vikram lander must execute a complex maneuver, transitioning from high-speed horizontal motion to a stable vertical position. Former ISRO chairperson K. Sivan famously dubbed this phase the "15 minutes of terror." In Chandrayaan-2, Vikram struggled with this transition, leading to its crash during the "fine-braking" phase at an altitude of around 7.42 kilometers. Another pivotal aspect of the landing process involves reducing the lander's horizontal velocity from approximately 6,000 kilometers per hour at a height of roughly 30 kilometers above the surface to almost zero upon touchdown.

•  The Journey So Far:

Below is an infographic illustrating the trajectory covered by the Chandrayaan-3 mission thus far, along with the imminent preparations for a gentle landing on the Moon.