Chandrayaan-3’s entire cost is lower than a Bollywood film!

The rover of Chandrayaan-3 gracefully descended from the lander, marking India’s triumphant lunar stroll, as announced by the space agency. On the scheduled evening of August 23, 2023 the Vikram lander flawlessly executed its planned touchdown. With this achievement, India now stands alongside an exclusive group of nations like United States, the former Soviet Union, and China that have accomplished a gentle landing on the Moon.

Interestingly, the entire cost of the mission is roughly Rupees 650 ($75 million) crore. For perspective, the budget of the film Adipurush was Rupees 700 crore while the 2009 Hollywood film Avatar’s budget was around Rupees 1,970 crore. This is notably lower than the Chandrayaan-2 budget, indicating a consistent effort by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to enhance efficiency and reduce costs. The allocated budget encompasses everything from the spacecraft and launch vehicle to the critical ground support facilities.

The nation is over the moon

Chandrayaan-3’s rover Pragyan has also left the impression of India’s national flag and ISRO logo on the lunar soil (regolith). This will make the nation the only country in the world to have its mark on the Moon’s South Pole.

While India’s first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1 found frozen water deposits on the Moon’s darkest and coldest regions in 2009, the follow up mission, Chandrayaan-2 was expected to probe the same but failed to achieve a soft-landing. This time, we come prepared as Chandrayaan-3 is built to rectify the mistakes of its predecessor and will add more knowledge about the Moon’s South Pole and the scope of water presence.

Don’t space out. Stay tuned

In the next 14 days, the six-wheeled Pragyan lander and rover module of Chandrayaan-3 will provide data to the scientific community. Derived from the Sanskrit term signifying wisdom, Pragyan is a hexa-wheeled rover meticulously crafted to examine the lunar terrain. This capability empowers it to traverse distances of up to 500 metres per Earth day across the Moon’s topography.

Its primary mission involves delving into the Moon’s geology, thereby offering insights into the composition of our planet’s celestial companion. Furthermore, it might unveil a deeper comprehension of the lunar body’s historical evolution.

Pragyan will conduct pivotal inquiries concerning various elements present on the surface, encompassing magnesium, silicon, potassium, calcium, iron, and more. Notably, it will aid in unraveling the nuances of the Moon’s tenuous atmosphere, investigating fluctuations and the patterns of day and night.

After 14 days, there will be night on the moon for the next 14 days and since Vikram and Pragyan can only work in the sun, they will become inactive there. However, ISRO scientists have not ruled out the possibility of the duo coming back to life when the sun rises again.