India’s Chandrayaan-3 moon landing: how and when to watch

If the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft lands, it will make India the fourth country to land on the moon.

Chandrayaan-3, which means “moon vehicle” in Hindi and Sanskrit, was launched from the Bay of Bengal last month. If all goes as planned, the spacecraft — which has no astronauts on board — will deploy a 60-pound solar-powered rover to explore the lunar surface for two weeks. The mission’s stated goals, according to the Indian Space Research Organization, are to land safely on the moon, deploy a rover and conduct scientific experiments.

Has India ever gone to the moon?

India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission in 2008 – which was crucial in World War II Discovery of lunar water molecules – It was an impact probe, not a spacecraft landing.

The country attempted to land a spacecraft on the moon in 2019, but Chandrayaan-2 failed after losing contact with the lander minutes before landing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the time: “We have come very close but we need to forge more ground.” “Our determination to touch the moon has only grown stronger.”

Only three countries – the United States, Russia (like the Soviet Union) and China – have successfully landed spacecraft on the moon.

Why is everyone trying to reach the moon (again)?

There’s another space race going on, though it’s very different from the Cold War-era competition between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Countries including the United States – and India, with Chandrayaan-3 – aim to establish or learn more about a presence on the moon’s south pole, where the ice ponds could provide water for long-term settlements or serve as a fuel station for spacecraft. types of space exploration. (The component parts of water, hydrogen and oxygen, can be used as rocket fuel.)

As Russia and India try to land on the moon, the moon rush gets crowded

How can I watch Chandrayaan-3?

People in India can watch the launch on public channel DD National TV. For international viewers, the event will be broadcast live on the Indian Space Agency website, Youtube channel f Facebook page. The broadcast is scheduled to start at 5:20 PM IST, or 7:50 AM ET. Agency officials said the landing may be It has been postponed to Sunday If conditions are not favorable.