Chandrayaan 3: first Moon images by Vikram lander after separating from main module

The Indian Space Research Organisation has released images of the Moon captured by the camera of Chandrayaan-3's lander module after it separated from the propulsion module on August 17. The images also show various craters on the Moon.

The Lander Module comprising the lander Vikram and rover Pragyan are now on course for an unprecedented soft-landing on the moon's south pole planned on August 23.

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 and its objectives are to demonstrate safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, roving on the moon, and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

Chandrayaan-2 had failed in its lunar phase when its lander 'Vikram' crashed into the surface of the moon following anomalies in the braking system in the lander while attempting a soft landing on September 7, 2019. Chandrayaan's maiden mission was in 2008.

The lander has the capability to soft land at a specified lunar site and deploys the rover that will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the moon's surface during the course of its mobility.

The lander and the rover have scientific payloads to carry out experiments on the lunar surface.

If the Chandrayaan-3 mission succeeds in landing a robotic lunar rover in ISRO's second attempt in four years, India will become the fourth country to master the technology of soft-landing on the moon's surface after the US, China and the former Soviet Union.

The race to the uncharted south pole of the Moon is also hotting up with Russia's Luna-25 also gearing up for lunar landings next week. The proximity and possible overlap, of their landing dates -- August 21-23 for Luna-25 and August 23-24 for Chandrayaan-3 -- has heightened excitement in the scientific community worldwide.

Polar regions of the moon are very different terrain due to the environment and the difficulties they present and therefore have remained unexplored. All the previous spacecraft to have reached the moon landed in the equatorial region, a few degrees latitude north or south of the lunar equator.

The moon's south pole region is also being explored because there could be a possibility of presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around it.

(with PTI inputs)