India’s space agency is preparing for the launch of a rocket that aims to land a rover on the moon, solidifying the country’s position in space exploration.
Successful lunar landings have only been achieved by the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China. A Japanese start-up’s attempt earlier this year ended in failure with a crashed lander.
With a budget of nearly $75m, the Chandrayaan-3 is scheduled to launch from India’s main spaceport in Andhra Pradesh at 2.35pm local time.
If all goes well, the 43.5-meter LVM3 launch rocket will propel the spacecraft into an elliptical Earth orbit before it heads towards the moon for a planned landing around August 23.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) hasn’t undertaken a major mission since Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced policies to promote investment in private space launches and satellite-related businesses.
Chandrayaan, which means “moon vehicle” in Sanskrit, consists of a 2-meter tall lander that will deploy a rover near the lunar south pole for a two-week mission involving various experiments.
However, analysts believe the launch also serves a secondary purpose of signaling India’s readiness to participate in the growing private-sector space race.
“A successful mission will enhance India’s global standing and have indirect benefits for the commercial aspect of the industry,” stated Ajey Lele, a consultant at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi. ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2020 deployed an orbiter successfully, but its lander and rover were lost in a crash near the anticipated landing site for Chandrayan-3.
Since India opened its doors to private launches in 2020, the number of space startups has more than doubled. Skyroot Aerospace, which counts Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC among its investors, launched India’s first privately built rocket late last year.
During a visit to the US in the previous month, Modi and President Joe Biden committed to deeper collaboration in space exploration.