A year to Chandrayaan-3 launch: Moment LVM-3 roared to Moon with Vikram, Pragyan

A year ago, the skies over the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota bore witness to a monumental event that captured the imagination of millions: the launch of India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission. As the powerful LVM-3 rocket roared to life, its engines generating an awe-inspiring display of raw power and engineering prowess, it carried with it the hopes and dreams of an entire nation. Onboard this formidable vehicle were the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover, sophisticated pieces of technology designed to further our understanding of the Moon’s surface and its mysteries. The launch was the culmination of years of painstaking work by the scientists and engineers of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), whose dedication and ingenuity had already been proven by the successes of previous missions, including Chandrayaan-1 and the Mars Orbiter Mission. This mission was particularly poignant, coming after the mixed fortunes of Chandrayaan-2, which saw the orbiter successfully placed in lunar orbit, but the lander unfortunately losing contact during its descent. The stakes were high, and the world watched with bated breath as Chandrayaan-3 set off on its historic journey. As the rocket ascended through the atmosphere, shedding its stages with precision, a palpable sense of national pride surged across India. The mission aimed not only to demonstrate ISRO’s technological capabilities but also to pave the way for future interplanetary missions. The Vikram lander, named after the father of the Indian space program, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, and the Pragyan rover, meaning ‘wisdom’ in Sanskrit, were meticulously designed to explore the lunar south pole, a region of immense scientific interest due to its permanently shadowed craters believed to contain water ice. The successful injection into the trans-lunar trajectory marked a significant milestone, and as the spacecraft traveled towards the Moon, it was a time of intense activity and constant monitoring at the Mission Control Center. In the days following the launch, the journey of Chandrayaan-3 became a topic of national conversation, with regular updates capturing the public’s fascination. The mission was not only a scientific endeavor but also a source of inspiration, particularly for the youth of India, igniting an interest in space science and engineering. The excitement peaked when the lander module, carrying the rover, began its descent to the lunar surface. This was a critical phase, and every second was filled with tension and anticipation. The world held its breath as Vikram, with Pragyan nestled within it, executed its complex landing maneuvers. The successful soft-landing near the lunar south pole was a moment of triumph for ISRO, as the ground erupted in cheers and applause.