Module From Historic Moon Mission Returns to Earth's Orbit After Lunar Landing
The propulsion module that fueled India’s historic lunar landing in August has left the moon’s orbit and returned to the orbit of Earth.
Earlier this week, India announced the return of the propulsion module, which had more fuel left over than the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) had expected, so researchers decided to move to bring it back home, Knewz.com has learned.
India made its first moon landing on August 23, 2023. By: ISRO
The purpose of India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission was to make a soft landing on the moon, with plans to one day bring back samples of lunar soil.
The spacecraft was launched on July 14, and the Vikram Lander made its touchdown on the moon on August 23. The Vikram Lander then deployed the Pragyan Rover.
The lander and rover, equipped with instruments to perform experiments, operated continuously for nearly two weeks, according to the ISRO.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission launched July 14. By: MEGA
The mission made Indian the fourth country to successfully make a lunar landing. Previously, only the United States, Russia and China had completed such a mission.
The lander and rover have been in slumber since the nearly two weeks of experimenting. Prior attempts to awaken the vehicles have been unsuccessful.
Nonetheless, the ISRO has deemed the mission a complete success.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s country is advancing its space exploration. By: MEGA
“The mission objectives of Chandrayaan-3 have been completely met,” the ISRO stated.
Meanwhile, the propulsion module — a unit shaped like a large box with a solar panel and an engine strapped to its bottom — remained in orbit during the experiments.
While there, it performed a single experiment called the Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE). It was designed to observe Earth from lunar orbit.
The SHAPE experiment was designed to capture in near-infrared light the characteristics that make our home planet inhabitable for humans, according to CNN.
India released a lander and rover on the moon for experiments. By: MEGA
The plan was for the propulsion module to collect data for three months, but because the rocket that launched the spacecraft put it in such a precise position, it was left with more propellant than expected.
“It was decided to use the available fuel in the PM to derive additional information for future lunar missions and demonstrate the mission operation strategies for a sample return mission,” the ISRO stated.
The ISRO hopes to use that information to map out a future moon landing mission that could include the return of lunar soil samples to Earth.
As Knewz.com previously reported, Russia had a failed moon attempt this year.
Iran announced that it launched a rocket with a bio capsule containing animals into space this week. By: MEGA
This week, Iran became the latest country to make progress in space.
As Knewz.com previously reported, the Middle Eastern country announced that it successfully launched an “indigenous bio-capsule” carrying animals into space.
The Salman rocket reportedly made its way 80 miles into orbit. At 1,100 pounds, it was the heaviest biological capsule the country has sent into orbit.
The launch was part of the country’s mission to send astronauts into space by the end of 2029.