Tag: Lunar mission

Chandrayaan-3 landing site ‘Shiv Shakti’ clicked by South Korea’s Danuri lunar orbiter

South Korea’s Danuri captures Vikram lander Photograph:(Twitter)

The Indian Embassy in South Korea recently shared an exciting development – South Korea’s lunar orbiter, Danuri, captured images of the Vikram lander’s landing site on the Moon’s surface. The images were taken at the landing site of Chandrayaan-3, known as the ‘Shiv Shakti Point,’ situated on the Moon’s South Pole. The embassy wrote on X social media platform, “Sharing the wonderful snap taken by South Korea’s lunar orbiter Danuri of ‘Shiv Shakti point’- the landing site of Chandrayaan-3 on the South Pole of Moon’s surface.”

The Ministry of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea also marked this occasion by sharing the images, celebrating India’s successful landing on the lunar south pole, a first in the history of humankind. In a post, the ministry wrote, “Commemorating India’s successful landing on the lunar south pole for the first time in humanity’s history, Korea’s lunar orbiter #Danuri sent photos of #Chandrayaan-3’s landing site on August 28th.”

Captured from lunar orbit
Danuri, orbiting the Moon at an altitude of approximately 100 kilometers, successfully photographed Chandrayaan-3’s landing site, offering a bird’s-eye view of the lunar surface. This landing site, ‘Shiv Shakti Point,’ is located approximately 600 kilometers from the Moon’s South Pole.

Chandrayaan-3, India’s lunar exploration mission, achieved a historic landing on the lunar surface on August 23.

The rover has been diligently conducting extensive research and data collection, with a primary focus on analysing the composition of the Moon’s soil and atmosphere.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission commenced on July 14, lifting off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. It successfully entered lunar orbit on August 5th, and on August 17th, the lander module separated from the propulsion module.

Source: https://www.wionews.com/science/chandrayaan-3-landing-site-shiv-shakti-captured-by-south-koreas-dnauri-lunar-orbiter-635725

India’s lunar lander finds 1st evidence of a moonquake in decades

The possible moonquake was detected by India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission on its third day on the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3 lunar rover on the surface of the moon on August 30, 2023. (Image credit: IRSRO)

India’s moon rover may have just detected the first evidence of a “moonquake” since the 1970s.

The Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) attached to the Vikram lander detected the seismic activity on the surface of the moon Aug. 26. Vikram landed on the moon’s south pole Aug. 23 as part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission — India’s first mission to the lunar surface.

If it’s confirmed, the moonquake — which the mission detected alongside other activity including the movements of India’s Pragyan rover — could give scientists a rare insight into the mysterious churning innards of Earth’s lunar companion.

The lander “has recorded an event, appearing to be a natural one, on August 26, 2023,” The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “The source of this event is under investigation.”

The Apollo lunar missions between 1969 and 1977 first detected seismic activity on the moon, which proved that the moon had a complex geological structure hidden deep within, rather than being uniformly rocky like the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos.

In recent years, advanced analysis tools and computer models have enabled scientists to sift through the data gathered by Apollo and other missions and build a clearer picture of the moon’s mysterious interior. A 2011 NASA study revealed that the moon’s core, much like Earth’s, was likely made up of fluid iron surrounding a dense, solid iron ball.

In May 2023, researchers used gravitational field data to confirm this iron core hypothesis, while also suggesting that blobs of the moon’s molten mantle could be separated from the rest, floating to the surface as clumps of iron and generating quakes as they went.

But these findings are just the beginning of the moon’s secrets. Magnetic fields are produced inside planetary bodies by the churning movement of material in planets’ electrically conductive molten cores.

Today the interior of the non-magnetic moon is quite different from Earth’s magnetized innards — it’s dense and mostly frozen, containing only a small outer core region that is fluid and molten. Scientists believe that the moon’s insides cooled fairly quickly and evenly after it formed around 4.5 billion years ago, meaning it doesn’t have a strong magnetic field — and many scientists believe it never did.

Source: https://www.livescience.com/space/the-moon/indias-lunar-lander-finds-1st-evidence-of-a-moonquake-in-decades

Mukesh Ambani succession plan: The new generation taking over from Asia’s richest man

Akash Ambani, Anant Ambani, Isha Ambani, Nita Ambani and Mukesh Ambani in a 2017 group photo

For months, the world has been captivated by the last season of Succession, the Emmy-winning TV drama on the lives of the corporate élite.

But in India, a real-life succession plan, involving a fortune of billions of dollars, is making news.

The three children of Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man and head of Reliance Industries, have now taken seats on the board of his expansive $220bn (£173bn) retail-to-refining conglomerate.

Twins Isha and Akash, 31, and Anant, 28, will join the board following shareholder approval. “The combination of the experience of senior leaders and the ambition of new leaders will script newer and more exciting chapters in Reliance’s every growing book of achievements,” Mukesh Ambani said in a statement on Monday.

This transition signifies the company’s entry into its third generation of family leadership in what is perhaps corporate India’s most anticipated succession plan.

With a sprawling business empire which ranges from oil, telecoms, chemicals, technology, and fashion to even food – the Ambanis are a ubiquitous presence in India, and everything the family does has been the subject of intense public fascination.

The children have their task cut out.

The group plans to enter general and health insurance possibly in partnership with global firms. It is planning to introduce 5G wireless broadband services in 200 million homes and develop 2,000 megawatts of AI-ready computing capacity.

Reliance’s Jio is India’s biggest telecom service

It plans an ambitious wind energy business and a solar giga factory. The firm’s ambitious retail arm has revived a popular 1970s soft drink, Campa Cola, and is planning to take it global.

Sandeep Nerlekar, who runs succession advisory firm Terentia Consultants, says that Mr Ambani and his wife Nita have been grooming their children for this moment for years.

“They did not inherit the business just because they’re Mukesh Ambani’s children, it’s a well-thought- out strategy. He has taken time to plan a succession, very clearly identifying business vertical based on their strengths.”

Mr Ambani has been described as an “inscrutable” man who was raised poor and prefers to maintain a low profile. His children grew up in utmost luxury. They were raised in mansions, frequently traveling on private planes and mingling with celebrities.

Unlike Mr Ambani, who had to drop out of Stanford to look after his father’s business, twins Isha and Akash graduated from Yale and Brown, respectively. Together, they routinely make appearances in corporate events and adorn the covers of magazines. Both of them have married into other wealthy industrialist families, with the lavish ceremonies graced by stars from across the world, including Beyoncé.

Mr Nerlekar says the entire family, including Mr Ambani, has been “under the radar” for various reasons including their spends on luxury, weddings and properties. The fact that the children are still young heightens the excitement around their lives and could now put them under more spotlight – but “they know what they are doing and have been groomed well”.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-66643831

Chandrayaan-3 Rover Put To Sleep On Moon, Will Wake Up When…

“Hoping for a successful awakening for another set of assignments. Else, it will forever stay there as India’s lunar ambassador,” ISRO said

Chandrayaan-3’s rover Pragyan will be safely parked and put to sleep mode

New Delhi: The Chandrayaan-3 mission’s rover Pragyan has completed its assignments, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said today. The rover has been safely parked and put into sleep mode, ISRO said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“Currently, the battery is fully charged. The solar panel is oriented to receive light at the next sunrise expected on September 22, 2023. The receiver is kept on,” ISRO said.

“Hoping for a successful awakening for another set of assignments. Else, it will forever stay there as India’s lunar ambassador,” the space agency said.

The 26-kg, six-wheeled, solar-powered rover Pragyan is equipped to use its scientific instruments to record what the lunar soil and rocks are made of in the south polar region where Chandrayaan-3’s lander Vikram touched down.

ISRO said APXS and LIBS payloads have been turned off and data from these payloads is transmitted to Earth via lander Vikram.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/chandrayaan-3s-rover-pragyan-completes-assignments-safely-parked-put-to-sleep-4354443

Chandrayaan 3 mission: Pragyan rover detects oxygen, other elements on Moon; hunt underway for hydrogen

Chandrayaan-3 rover confirms presence of sulphur in lunar surface, search for Hydrogen underway: ISRO

Chandrayaan-3 Pragyan rover roams around the ‘Shiv Shakti Point’, Vikram’ lander’s touchdown spot, on the Moon at the south pole. (PTI)

The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope instrument onboard ‘Pragyan’ rover of Chandrayaan-3 has “unambiguously confirmed” the presence of sulphur in the lunar surface near south pole.

“Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) instrument onboard the Rover unambiguously confirms the presence of Sulphur (S) in the lunar surface near the south pole, through first-ever in-situ measurements. Al, Ca, Fe, Cr, Ti, Mn, Si, and O are also detected, as expected. Search for Hydrogen (H) is underway,” the space agency tweeted.

The space probe had earlier posted a message for ‘earthlings’ telling the world that it was on its way to ‘uncover the secrets of the Moon’.

“Me and my friend Vikram Lander are in touch. We’re in good health. The best is coming soon,” the Pragyan Rover had earlier tweeted via ISRO InSight.

ISRO informed on Monday that the Pragyan Rover had come across a 4-meter diameter crater on the lunar surface some 3 meters ahead of its location. It had then been commanded to retrace its path and head down a new, safer route.

Scientists say that the rover is currently in a “race against time” with ISRO working to cover a maximum distance of the uncharted South pole through the six-wheeled vehicle. Two of the moon mission objectives – soft landing on the lunar surface and movement of the Pragyan rover – have already been achieved. The rover and lander continues to obtain science data via attached payloads.

Source : https://www.livemint.com/science/news/chandrayaan-3-mission-pragyan-rover-detects-oxygen-other-elements-on-moon-hunt-underway-for-hydrogen-11693322317076.html

Russia’s first lunar mission in 47 years smashes into the moon in failure

Russia’s first moon mission in 47 years failed when its Luna-25 space craft spun out of control and crashed into the moon after a problem preparing for pre-landing orbit, underscoring the post-Soviet decline of a once mighty space programme.

Russia’s state space corporation, Roskosmos, said it had lost contact with the craft at 11:57 GMT on Saturday after a problem as the craft was shunted into pre-landing orbit. A soft landing had been planned for Monday.

“The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon,” Roskosmos said in a statement.

It said a special inter-departmental commission had been formed to investigate the reasons behind the loss of the Luna-25 craft, whose mission had raised hopes in Moscow that Russia was returning to the big power moon race.

The failure underscored the decline of Russia’s space power since the glory days of Cold War competition when Moscow was the first to launch a satellite to orbit the Earth – Sputnik 1, in 1957 – and Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to travel into space in 1961.

It also comes as Russia’s $2 trillion economy faces its biggest external challenge for decades: the pressure of both Western sanctions and fighting the biggest land war in Europe since World War Two.

Though moon missions are fiendishly difficult, and many U.S. and Soviet attempts have failed, Russia had not attempted a moon mission since Luna-24 in 1976, when Communist leader Leonid Brezhnev ruled the Kremlin.

Russian state television put news of the loss of Luna-25 at number 8 in its line up at noon and gave it just 26 seconds of coverage, after a news about fires on Tenerife and a 4 minute item about a professional holiday for Russian pilots and crews.

FAILED MOONSHOT
Russia has been racing against India, whose Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is scheduled to land on the moon’s south pole this week, and more broadly against China and the United States which both have advanced lunar ambitions.

FILE PHOTO: A picture taken from the camera of the lunar landing spacecraft Luna-25 shows the Zeeman crater located on the far side of the moon, August 17, 2023. Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT./File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights

As news of the Luna-25 failure broke, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) posted on X, formerly Twitter, that Chandrayaan-3 was set to land on Aug. 23.

Russian officials had hoped that the Luna-25 mission would show Russia can compete with the superpowers in space despite its post-Soviet decline and the vast cost of the Ukraine war.

“The flight control system was a vulnerable area, which had to go through many fixes,” said Anatoly Zak, the creator and publisher of www.RussianSpaceWeb.com which tracks Russian space programmes.

Zak said Russia had also gone for the much more ambitious moon landing before undertaking a simpler orbital mission – the usual practice for the Soviet Union, the United States, China and India.

While Luna-25 went beyond the earth’s orbit – unlike the failed 2011 Fobos-Grunt mission to one of the moons of Mars – the crash could impact Russia’s moon programme, which envisages several more missions over coming years including a possible joint effort with China.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/russias-moon-mission-falters-after-problem-entering-pre-landing-orbit-2023-08-20/

Exit mobile version