Three years of India making history near Moon’s south pole:How ‘Chandrayaan-3’ landing changed country’s space programme

On August 23, 2023, India watched Vikram land safely on the lunar surface. The moment made India the fourth country after the US, the former Soviet Union and China to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, and the first to successfully land in the Moon’s south-polar region. Three years later, the significance of Chandrayaan-3 goes far beyond that dramatic landing. The mission demonstrated that India could safely land a spacecraft on the Moon, deploy a rover, perform scientific experiments directly on the lunar surface and even make the lander perform a short hop after completing its primary mission.
So, three years after India landed on the Moon, what exactly did Chandrayaan-3 achieve, and where is India headed next? What was Chandrayaan-3? Chandrayaan-3 was ISRO’s follow-up to Chandrayaan-2, which attempted to land a spacecraft on the Moon in 2019 but lost communication with its Vikram lander during the final stage of descent. Unlike Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3 did not carry an orbiter. Its primary objective was more focused: demonstrate the technologies required for a safe and soft landing, rover movement on the Moon and in-situ scientific experiments. ISRO says the Propulsion Module also carried the SHAPE instrument, which observed Earth from lunar orbit to study its spectral and polarimetric characteristics. The mission was launched on July 14, 2023, aboard the LVM3-M4 rocket from Sriharikota. After a series of Earth-bound manoeuvres, the spacecraft entered lunar orbit. Vikram later separated from the Propulsion Module and began its descent towards the landing site. On August 23, the most difficult part of the mission began. At 6:04 pm IST, Vikram successfully touched down at a site later named Shiv Shakti Point, at about 69.37° south latitude. India had landed on the Moon.
Why was the landing such a big deal? Landing on the Moon is much harder than simply reaching lunar orbit. A spacecraft travelling towards the Moon has to reduce its velocity precisely, navigate using limited information, identify a suitable landing area and then control its descent while dealing with the Moon’s uneven terrain. The south-polar region is particularly challenging because of its rough terrain, craters, slopes and unusual lighting conditions. Chandrayaan-3 was therefore designed with several technologies to improve landing reliability. Vikram was equipped with systems including laser and radio altimeters, velocimeters, cameras and navigation and guidance systems. It also had the ability to identify hazards during the descent. The successful landing demonstrated that India had developed an end-to-end capability to navigate, descend and land autonomously on the lunar surface. What was Vikram carrying?

Vikram carried four main scientific payloads including, the Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment measured (ChaSTE), the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA), the Langmuir Probe (RAMBHA-LP) and Laser Retroreflector Array. ISRO lists these instruments among Chandrayaan-3’s lander payloads. And Pragyan rover had two important instruments i.e., Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) and Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS). Together, LIBS and APXS allowed Pragyan to perform chemical analysis directly on the Moon rather than sending samples back to Earth.

Let’s understand it better with the infographic given below: A more surprising finding came later
The mission’s scientific work continued even after Pragyan stopped operating. Analysis of APXS data found unusually low sodium and potassium levels and elevated sulphur, suggesting the presence of primitive lunar mantle material brought to the surface during the formation of the South Pole-Aitken basin. This could offer scientists valuable clues about the Moon’s early geological history and make the region important for future lunar sample-return missions. Also read: Running out of battery with no charger or powerbank nearby?: You can charge your smartphone using another phone – here’s how

The little-known Chandrayaan-3 ‘hop’
After completing its main mission, Vikram performed a 40-cm hop on September 2, 2023, lifting off the lunar surface and landing again. The experiment demonstrated the ability to take off and land on the Moon, a crucial capability for future missions that aim to collect lunar samples and bring them back to Earth. Who were the key scientists behind Chandrayaan-3?
Chandrayaan-3 was not the achievement of one scientist. It was the result of years of work involving thousands of engineers, scientists, technicians and industrial partners across India’s space programme. But several senior figures became closely associated with the mission. Let’s understand it better with the infographic given below: How Chandrayaan-3 changed India’s space programme
What comes next for India on the Moon? The ultimate ambition of India’s lunar programme is much bigger than another robotic rover. India’s long-term space plans envisage the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and, eventually, an Indian astronaut landing on the Moon, with a crewed lunar landing targeted around 2040.
Achieving this will require several advanced capabilities, including human-rated launch vehicles, life-support systems, crew modules, lunar landing and ascent technologies, space docking, deep-space communication, long-duration human operations and the ability to collect and return samples from the lunar surface.
Also read: Deepinder Goyal shrinks ‘Temple’ wearable to half its size: Brain-tracking device gets smaller ahead of 2026 launch, with pre-orders coming soon

From Vikram’s landing to India’s next Moonshot
Three years after Chandrayaan-3 made history, India’s lunar ambitions have moved far beyond simply landing on the Moon.
The focus is now on bringing lunar samples back to Earth, exploring the Moon’s polar region and eventually sending an Indian astronaut to the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-3 proved India could land; the missions ahead will determine how far India can go.