New launches to space are made in hopes to gain new knowledge and images of the moon. In India, the Chandrayaan-3 lunar probe was launched. They are hoping to land the lunar probe on the moon’s south pole. It is said to land in late August. Furthermore, in Russia, they are waiting to make their first launch for the first in 47 years. They are to launch the Luna 25 from Russia, in August.
There is much hope for the success of Luna 25 landing and providing new information. Also in Japan, the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) is planning to make their launch the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM). Additionally, this launch is also planned to launch in August. These three launches are hopefully going to take Lunar Exploration to the next level.
Chandrayaan-3
The launch of Chandrayaan-3 made in India was an unmanned spacecraft. Chandrayaan means “moon craft” in Sanskrit. Compared to four years ago, when India had failed at landing successfully on the moon’s surface, this new attempt is going well so far. As of so far the updates on the condition of the spacecraft are normal and no problems have been detected.
If the travel and landing go as hoped right, the spacecraft will land around August 23 or 24. This project cost India $74.6 million. Furthermore, the spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 has a lander module called Vikram, and a lander named Pragyan.
In addition, these names mean valor and wisdom. These pieces were developed by the ISRO. If the landing is successful, the spacecraft will explore the lunar area and send back images for examination. Lastly, the rover has a lifespan of 14 Earth days.
Russia’s Luna 25
Luna 25 also called the “Luna Glob Lander”, was created by NPO Lavochkina and is funded by the Russian Space Agency. In addition, it is a Russian lander mission, and as of right now, it is waiting for its scheduled launch date, August 23. The purpose of the Luna 25 launch is to study the composition of the polar regolith, and also to study the plasma and dust components of the lunar atmosphere.
The lander (Luna 25) has a four-legged base that contains the landing rockets and propellant tanks. The upper part of the spacecraft has a compartment that holds the solar panels, communication equipment, onboard computers, and most of the other science equipment.
In addition, the dry mass is about 800 kg, it is assumed to have somewhere around 950 kg of propellent at the moment of the launch. On top of this, the lander also has included a Lunar Robotic Arm (LRA) that will extract and collect the surface regolith as deep as 25 cm. Also, Luna 25 has a scoop, a sample acquisition tool. When landing on the moon, Luna 25 will study the area for about one year.
Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Slim)
This mission for SLIM is brought by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The purpose of the creation of SLIM is to display precise lunar landing techniques, with the goal of speeding up the study of the moon and planets using lighter exploration systems. These techniques that will be implemented in this mission will pave a new beginning in future lunar sample return missions.
The spacecraft’s body is built around the propellant tank as the structural element. SLIM’s power is provided by thin-film solar cells and lithium-ion batteries. In addition, a landing radar, a multi-band camera for mineralogical exploration, and also a laser retroreflector array are included. Furthermore, the scheduled date is August 26 9:34:57 AM JST.
By Meredith Garcia
Resources
Phys.org: India launches cut-price mission to land on moon
Nasa.gov: Luna 25
Nasa.gov: Smart lander for investigating moon (SLIM)
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of rulenumberone2’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image Courtesy of Doug Shaw’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
