What is the main task of India’s third moon mission which could not be achieved in its earlier mission? List the countries that have achieved this task. Introduce the subsystems in the spacecraft launched and explain the role of the ‘Virtual Launch Control Centre’ at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre which contributed to the successful launch from Sriharikota.
Approach · directive: “what / list / introduce / explain”
What it asks · Name the task Chandrayaan-3 was set (a safe soft landing on the Moon), list the countries that had achieved it, describe the spacecraft's modules and explain the Virtual Launch Control Centre's role.
The question has 4 parts — answer each
- State the main task of Chandrayaan-3 that the earlier mission could not achieve
- List the countries that have achieved a soft landing on the Moon
- Introduce the subsystems of the spacecraft launched: modules, lander systems and payloads
- Explain the role of the Virtual Launch Control Centre at VSSC in the launch from Sriharikota
Open with · Chandrayaan-2 reached lunar orbit in 2019, but its Vikram lander could not complete the final descent; Chandrayaan-3 was built to prove a safe soft landing.
Cover
- Main task: demonstrate an end-to-end safe soft landing on the lunar surface, followed by rover roving and in-situ scientific experiments.
- Countries: the Soviet Union, the United States and China had achieved a soft landing; India became the fourth, on 23 August 2023, and the first near the lunar south polar region.
- Spacecraft: a propulsion module (carries the lander to lunar orbit, with the SHAPE payload), the Vikram lander (RAMBHA-LP, ChaSTE, ILSA) and the Pragyan rover (LIBS, APXS).
- Lander subsystems: throttleable propulsion, navigation, guidance and control, hazard detection and avoidance sensors, landing legs, power and communication, all upgraded after Chandrayaan-2.
- Launch: the LVM3-M4 rocket lifted off from Sriharikota on 14 July 2023 and placed the spacecraft in an Earth orbit for its onward journey.
- Virtual Launch Control Centre: a remote facility at VSSC, linked to the launch complex, that displays real-time launch-vehicle data so designers can monitor its health and advise the launch team.
Close with · The mission showed indigenous capability in landing technology, and its lunar data will add to the scientific return.
Add value (verified)
- ISRO's mission page dates the soft landing to 23 August 2023 and reports first results within days from the lander payloads (ILSA, RAMBHA-LP, ChaSTE) and the rover payloads (LIBS, APXS). ISRO: Chandrayaan-3 mission updates ↗“Chandrayaan-3 has successfully soft-landed on the moon. Congratulations, India!”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2023, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 268 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS
Chandrayaan-2 reached lunar orbit in 2019, but its Vikram lander could not complete the final descent; Chandrayaan-3 was built to prove that India can land softly on the Moon.
The main task
- Demonstrate an end-to-end safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, followed by rover roving and in-situ scientific experiments: the step that failed in 2019.
Countries that have achieved it
- The Soviet Union, the United States and China; India became the fourth on 23 August 2023, and the first to land near the lunar south polar region.
Subsystems of the spacecraft
- Propulsion module: carried the lander from Earth orbit to lunar orbit; it hosts the SHAPE payload to study Earth from lunar orbit.
- Vikram lander: throttleable engines, navigation, guidance and control, hazard detection and avoidance sensors, landing legs, power and communication, all strengthened after Chandrayaan-2; payloads RAMBHA-LP (plasma), ChaSTE (surface temperature) and ILSA (seismic activity).
- Pragyan rover: LIBS and APXS to analyse the elemental composition of soil and rocks near the landing site.
- Launch: the LVM3-M4 rocket lifted off from Sriharikota on 14 July 2023 and placed the spacecraft in Earth orbit for its onward journey.
The Virtual Launch Control Centre
- A remote facility at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, linked to the launch complex, that receives real-time launch-vehicle data through the countdown and flight.
- Designers monitor the vehicle's health from there and advise the launch team, so decisions rest on the people who built the systems without crowding the launch control room.
The mission proved indigenous landing technology; the lander and rover data from the south polar region add to the world's lunar science.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify). UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.