The landing of Chandrayaan-3 will be broadcast live in all state-run schools of Uttar Pradesh. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the institutions would open specifically for the viewing on Wednesday evening.
“On August 23, at 5:27 pm, the Chandrayaan-3 moon landing process will be telecast live on the ISRO website, YouTube channel and DD National. In such a situation, arrangements should be made for live telecast by organizing special meetings in schools and educational institutions from 5:15 pm to 6:15 pm,” the UP government added.
ISRO has planned the soft landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft at 06.04 pm IST on August 23. While officials insisted that the mission was on schedule, there is a possibility of the touchdown being postponed to August 27 in case the health parameters of the lander module are found to be “abnormal”.
The highly scrutinised expedition to the lunar south pole began from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on July 14. The stated objectives of Chandrayaan-3 are safe and soft landing, rover roving on the moon’s surface, and in-situ scientific experiments.
“The lander will try to land on the Moon’s surface from a height of 30km on August 23, and its velocity at that time will be 1.68 km per second. Our focus will be on reducing that speed because Moon’s gravitational force will also play its part. If we do not control that speed, there will be chances of a crash landing,” ,” ISRO Space Applications Centre Director Nilesh Desai told PTI.
Meanwhile back on earth, prayers and anticipatory parties have taken over. Religious ceremonies were organised in several cities on Tuesday to pray for the success of the mission. Watch parties are also being put together by government and private entities.
Chandrayaan-2 had failed in its lunar phase when its lander crashed into the surface of the Moon following anomalies in the braking system while attempting a touch down in September 2019. A successful mission will make India the fourth country in the world to achieve this feat after the United States, Russia, and China. No other nation has however landed on the lunar south pole.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Updated: 22 Aug 2023, 04:44 PM IST