Space Technology

By

PRINCE SHARMA

Chandrayaan 3 Mission
The Chandrayaan 3 Mission was launched using the LVM3 rocket system. LVM3 is the new launch vehicle of
ISRO with the capability to place the modules into the GTO (Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit) in a cost-effective
manner. It is a three-stage launch vehicle with two solid strap stages and one core liquid stage. The Launcher,
LVM3 M4, placed the integrated Modules in an Elliptic Parking Orbit of size approx. 170 x 36500 km (a GTO).

Objectives of Chandrayaan 3 Mission

One of the many goals of the Mission is to look for water ice that could support future human life on the Moon
and also for supplying propellants for spacecraft in future interplanetary missions. The objectives of the
Chandrayaan-3 mission are:

• Safe and Soft Landing on the Lunar Surface by the Lander

• Roving on the Moon by the Rover

• In-situ scientific experiments by the Rover

Parts of the Chandrayaan 3 Mission

The Chandrayaan-3 Mission consists of two modules - The propulsion module (PM) and the Lander module (LM).
The total mass of both the modules is 3900 kg (Propulsion Module-2148 kg, and Lander Module-1752 kg,
including Rover-26 kg).

Propulsion Module

The propulsion module carried the lander and rover configuration till the 100 km lunar orbit. Other than carrying
the Lander Module, it also has a scientific payload called Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE).

• The SHAPE payload will conduct novel spectro-polarimetric studies of Earth from lunar orbit. It will look
for smaller planets that could be habitable in the reflected light.

Lander Module

The Lander Module consists of a Lander (Vikram) and a Rover (Pragyan). The Lander Module made the soft
landing using the Automatic Landing Sequence (ALS), where the Lander started its engine (thrusters) and
maneuvered the speed and direction of the Module as well as the position of the landing site.

After the historic touchdown, the Rover inside it ramped down on the lunar surface to carry out in-situ chemical
analysis of the lunar surface during its mission life.

• The total lifespan of the Mission (Lander and Rover) is lunar day (14 Earth days).

• Both the Lander and the Rover have scientific payloads to carry out experiments on the lunar surface.
 • The objectives of scientific payloads planned on the Chandrayaan-3 Lander Module and Rover are
provided below:

Scientific Payloads Objectives

Lander payloads
Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive To measure the plasma density fluctuations near
Ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA) the lunar surface.
Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) To carry out the thermal traits of the moon's frigid
polar zones.
Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) To measure seismic activity, unveiling lunar crust-
mantle configuration
LASER Retroreflector Array (LRA) To understand the dynamics of the Moon system
Rover payloads
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) To determine the soil and rocks’ chemical
composition and mineral attributes
LASER Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) To analyse elemental constitution, enriching lunar
geology insights

Timeline of the Chandrayaan 3 Mission

• Launched: July 14, 2023

• Inserted into Lunar Orbit: August 05

• Separation of the Lander Module from the Propulsion Module: August 17

• First Deboosting: August 18

o Deboosting is the slowing down of the spacecraft in an orbit where the Perilune (closest point to
the Moon) is 30 km, and the farthest point (the Apolune) is 100 km from the landing site in the
South Polar Region.

o It is required for the proper landing as the speed needed to land is much less than the lander.

• Second Deboosting on August 20

• Soft landing on August 23

o The targeted site on the Moon was around 70 degrees South near the Southern pole of the
Moon.

o If the Lander had missed the target of the commencement of the soft landing, It would have to
wait for 1 month.

o It landed at around 69.36°S and 32.34°E (between Manzinus C and Simpelius N craters).

• Rover started its exploration on August 24

What differentiates Chandrayaan 3 from Chandrayaan 2?

Chandrayaan-2 failed in the final phase of its mission in 2019 because it could not achieve a soft landing. The
main issue for the crash was that the five thrusters on the lander developed a higher velocity than expected.
Also, the lander had to take pictures to fix the landing site. All of this made the accumulated errors. Learning
from previous experiences, the ISRO had incorporated some advancements to achieve success this time, which
are as follows:

“Failure-based design” instead of the "Success-based design":

• The failure-based design means that if everything, including sensors and electronics, had failed, Vikram
would still have made the soft landing.

• This was done by identifying and rectifying all the probable scenarios that could go wrong.

• This included failure of electronics, engine failure, unable to reach the landing spot, sensor failure,
algorithm failure, velocity higher than required, etc.

Increase in the landing area:

• The target area of Chandrayaan-3 was kept at 4km x 2.4km area instead of 500m x 500m targeted by
Chandrayaan-2 so that the Lander had more options to choose the best target site on its own.

More fuel to Lander:

• It was kept to facilitate the Lander to travel longer distances to the landing site and, if needed, to the
alternate landing site.

Help from Chandrayaan-2 orbiter:

• The Chandrayaan-3 mission does not carry an orbiter; it is using the high-resolution images from the
Chandrayaan-2 orbiter.

More robust integrated craft:

• The weight of the payload of Chandrayaan-3 had been kept more than the Chandrayaan-2, with the
Lander having most of the extra weight for successful landing.

• The number of thrusters had decreased from five to four with no central thrusters.

• The legs of the Lander were made sturdier to ensure that they could land even at a higher velocity.

• Use of additional solar panels to ensure power generation after a soft landing regardless of the weather
on the Moon.

Key Findings of Chandrayaan-1

• Confirmed presence of lunar water

• Evidence of lunar caves formed by an ancient lunar lava flow

• Past tectonic activity were found on the lunar surface.

o The faults and fractures discovered could be features of past interior tectonic activity coupled
with meteorite impacts

Highlights of Chandrayaan 2

• Chandrayaan 2 fostered the findings of Chandrayaan 1 as reported by the ISRO.

• The mission targeted the “South Polar region” of the Moon which was completely unexplored.

• The mission focused on the extensive mapping of the lunar surface for studying variations in its
composition and tracing the Moon’s origin and evolution.
 • Chandrayaan 2 was considered as a challenging mission as the South Polar Region of the Moon was
totally unexplored by any space agency before.

Components of Chandrayaan –2: Launch Vehicle

• S200 solid rocket booster

• L110 liquid state

• C25 Upper stage

The Chandrayaan-2 mission consisted of three main modules:

1. lunar orbiter

2. Vikram lander (named after Vikram Sarabhai, the late father of India’s space program)

3. lunar rover named Pragyan

All of the above parts were developed in India.

Key Findings of Chandrayaan-2

• Chandrayaan-2 detected the presence of Argon-40 in the lunar exosphere

• Presence of water molecules on moon: The mission has given the most precise information about the
presence of H2O molecules on the Moon till date.
• Presence of Minor elements: Chromium, manganese and Sodium have been detected for the first time
through remote sensing. The finding can lay the path for understanding magmatic evolution on the Moon
and deeper insights into the nebular conditions as well as planetary differentiation.
• Information about solar flares: A large number of microflares outside the active region have been
observed for the first time, and according to ISRO, this “has great implications on the understanding of
the mechanism behind heating of the solar corona”, which has been an open problem for many decades.

Aditya L1 Mission
Aditya L1 shall be the first space based Indian mission to study the Sun. The spacecraft shall be placed in a halo
orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from the Earth. A
satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun
without any occultation/eclipses. This will provide a greater advantage of observing the solar activities and its
effect on space weather in real time. The spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere,
chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle and magnetic
field detectors. Using the special vantage point L1, four payloads directly view the Sun and the remaining three
payloads carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1, thus providing important
scientific studies of the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium

The suits of Aditya L1 payloads are expected to provide most crucial informations to understand the problem of
coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space
weather, propagation of particle and fields etc.

Science Objectives:

The major science objectives of Aditya-L1 mission are:

• Study of Solar upper atmospheric (chromosphere and corona) dynamics.

• Study of chromospheric and coronal heating, physics of the partially ionized plasma, initiation of the
coronal mass ejections, and flares
 • Observe the in-situ particle and plasma environment providing data for the study of particle dynamics
from the Sun.

• Physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism.

• Diagnostics of the coronal and coronal loops plasma: Temperature, velocity and density.

• Development, dynamics and origin of CMEs.

• Identify the sequence of processes that occur at multiple layers (chromosphere, base and extended
corona) which eventually leads to solar eruptive events.

• Magnetic field topology and magnetic field measurements in the solar corona .

• Drivers for space weather (origin, composition and dynamics of solar wind .

Quick Facts: Aditya-L1 will stay approximately 1.5 million km away from Earth, directed towards the Sun, which
is about 1% of the Earth-Sun distance. The Sun is a giant sphere of gas and Aditya-L1 would study the outer
atmosphere of the Sun. Aditya-L1 will neither land on the Sun nor approach the Sun any closer.

Payloads along with their major capability of scientific investigation.

Type Sl. Payload Capability

No.
Remote 1 Visible Emission Line Corona/Imaging & Spectroscopy
Sensing Coronagraph(VELC)
Payloads 2 Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Photosphere and Chromosphere Imaging- Narrow &
Telescope (SUIT) Broadband
3 Solar Low Energy X-ray Soft X-ray spectrometer: Sun-as-a-star observation
Spectrometer (SoLEXS)
4 High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Hard X-ray spectrometer: Sun-as-a-star observation
Spectrometer(HEL1OS)
In-situ 5 Aditya Solar wind Particle Solar wind/Particle Analyzer Protons & Heavier Ions
Payloads Experiment(ASPEX) with directions
6 Plasma Analyser Package For Solar wind/Particle Analyzer Electrons & Heavier Ions
Aditya (PAPA) with directions
7 Advanced Tri-axial High In-situ magnetic field (Bx, By and Bz).
Resolution Digital
Magnetometers

X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat)

XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite) is India’s first dedicated polarimetry mission to study various dynamics of
bright astronomical X-ray sources in extreme conditions. The spacecraft will carry two scientific payloads in a low
earth orbit. The primary payload POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) will measure the polarimetry
parameters (degree and angle of polarization) in medium X-ray energy range of 8-30 keV photons of
astronomical origin. The XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing) payload will give spectroscopic information in
the energy range of 0.8-15 keV.

The emission mechanism from various astronomical sources such as blackhole, neutron stars, active galactic
nuclei, pulsar wind nebulae etc. originates from complex physical processes and are challenging to understand.
While the spectroscopic and timing information by various space based observatories provide a wealth of
information, the exact nature of the emission from such sources still poses deeper challenges to astronomers.
The polarimetry measurements add two more dimension to our understanding, the degree of polarization and
the angle of polarization and thus is an excellent diagnostic tool to understand the emission processes from
astronomical sources. The polarimetric observations along with spectroscopic measurements are expected to
break the degeneracy of various theoretical models of astronomical emission processes. This would be the major
direction of research from XPoSat by Indian science community.

XPoSat payloads:

1. POLIX

POLIX is an X-ray Polarimeter for astronomical observations in the energy band of 8-30 keV. The payload is
being developed by Ramam Research Institute (RRI), Bangalore in collaboration with U R Rao Satellite Centre
(URSC). The instrument is made of a collimator, a scatterer and four X-ray proportional counter detectors that
surrounds the scatterer. The scatterer is made of low atomic mass material which causes anisotropic Thomson
scattering of incoming polarised X-rays. The collimator restricts the field of view to 3 degree x 3 degree so as
to have only one bright source in the field of view for most observations. POLIX is expected to observer about
40 bright astronomical sources of different categories during the planned lifetime of XPoSat mission of about 5
years. This is the first payload in the medium X-ray energy band dedicated for polarimetry measurements.

2. XSPECT

XSPECT is an X-ray SPECtroscopy and Timing payload onboard XPoSat, which can provide fast timing and good
spectroscopic resolution in soft X-rays. Taking advantage of the long duration observations required by POLIX
to measure X-ray polarization, XSPECT can provide long-term monitoring of spectral state changes in continuum
emission, changes in their line flux and profile, simultaneous long term temporal monitoring of soft X-ray emission
in the X-ray energy range 0.8-15 keV. An array of Swept Charge Devices (SCDs) provide an effective area >30
cm2 at 6 keV with energy resolution better than 200 eV at 6 keV. Passive collimators are used to reduce the
background by narrowing the field of view of XSPECT. XSPECT would observe several types of sources viz X-ray
pulsars, blackhole binaries, low-magnetic field neutron star (NS) in LMXBs, AGNs and Magnetars.

NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR)

NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observatory being jointly developed by NASA and ISRO.
NISAR will map the entire globe in 12 days and provide spatially and temporally consistent data for
understanding changes in Earth’s ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea level rise, ground water and
natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.

NISAR. It carries L and S dual band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), which operates with Sweep SAR technique
to achieve large swath with high resolution data. The SAR payloads mounted on Integrated Radar Instrument
Structure (IRIS) and the spacecraft bus are together called an observatory. Jet Propulsion Laboratories and ISRO
are realizing the observatory which shall not only meet the respective national needs but also will feed the
science community with data encouraging studies related to surface deformation measurements through repeat-
pass InSAR technique.

This flagship partnership would have major contributions from both agencies. NASA is responsible for providing
the L-Band SAR payload system in which the ISRO supplied S-Band SAR payload.

This would be the first dual frequency radar imaging mission in L-Band & S-Band using an advanced Sweep
SAR technique to provide L & S band space-borne SAR data with high repeat cycle, high resolution, and larger
swath, with capability of full-polar metric and interferometric modes of operation.

It will provide a means of disentangling and clarifying spatially and temporally complex phenomena, ranging
from ecosystem disturbances, to ice sheet collapse and natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis,
volcanoes, and landslide This is expected to provide impetus to the fast-maturing microwave remote sensing
applications in geosciences. The precision interferometric orbits of the mission will enable in mapping few
millimetres of deformations in the land surface. The selection of lower frequency bands will cater to the need for
better characterization of vegetation, which is vital for global carbon stock estimation and monitoring of carbon
fluxes from vegetation. Similarly, the selection of L- and S-band frequencies will enable characterizing targets
beneath tree canopy and sub-surface features due to differential penetration of the signals in two frequency
NISAR studying concepts for a Synthetic Aperture Radar mission is to determine Earth change in three disciplines:
ecosystems (vegetation and the carbon cycle), deformation (solid Earth studies), and cryosphere sciences
(primarily as related to climatic drivers and effects on sea level NISAR will acquire data over the Indian Coasts
and monitor annual changes in the bathymetry along the deltaic regions. The shoreline and the erosion accretion
also will be monitored. The NISAR mission will observe sea ice characteristics over the seas surrounding India’s
Antarctic polar stations, can be used to detect the marine oil spill and disseminate the spill location during
accidental oil seepage for preventive measures.

SPADEX
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) is working on the SPADEX mission means Space Docking Experiment,
docking is the process of connecting two free-flying spacecraft in space, either to transfer people or cargo from
one to another or two free-flying spacecraft join each other to make a single bigger object best example of
docking is the cargo spaceship connecting to ISS (International Space Station) for material transfer.

ISRO is planning to launch the Spadex mission in 2024. ISRO is developing this indigenous technology for
developing its Indian Space Station or ‘Bhartiya Antariksha Station’ by 2035 because this technology is essential
for that, every station is built by a small unit and that unit is docked together to make it bigger including ISS
(International Space Station).

Objective of SPADEX

(1) To demonstrate autonomous rendezvous and docking of two spacecraft in low Earth orbit.

(2) To develop and validate technologies for the formation of flying two spacecraft.

(3) To demonstrate remote robotic arm operations.

(4) To develop and validate technologies for controlling one spacecraft with the attitude control system of
another spacecraft.

SPADEX will be a milestone in the creation of India’s Space Station. China already created its own Space
Station Tiangong.

Application of SPADEX

Through these experiments, ISRO will be able to do many kinds of tasks.

(1) ISRO will be able to transfer humans from one spaceship to another ship in space

(2) Refueling of a spaceship in space just like air-to-air refueling of jet

(3) Crucial cargo can be shifted from one spaceship to another spaceship

(4) ISRO will be able to replace a part of an existing satellite in orbit

Gaganyaan Mission
Gaganyaan project envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching crew of 3
members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3 days mission and bring them back safely to earth, by landing
in Indian sea waters.
The project is accomplished through an optimal strategy by considering inhouse expertise, experience
of Indian industry, intellectual capabilities of Indian academia & research institutions along with cutting
edge technologies available with international agencies. The pre-requisites for Gaganyaan mission
include development of many critical technologies including human rated launch vehicle for carrying
crew safely to space, Life Support System to provide an earth like environment to crew in space, crew
emergency escape provision and evolving crew management aspects for training, recovery and
rehabilitation of crew.

Various precursor missions are planned for demonstrating the Technology Preparedness Levels before
carrying out the actual Human Space Flight mission. These demonstrator missions include Integrated
Air Drop Test (IADT), Pad Abort Test (PAT) and Test Vehicle (TV) flights. Safety and reliability of all
systems will be proven in unmanned missions preceding manned mission.

Human rated LVM3 - HLVM3

LVM3 rocket - The well proven and reliable heavy lift launcher of ISRO, is identified as the launch vehicle
for Gaganyaan mission. It consists of solid stage, liquid stage and cryogenic stage. All systems in LVM3
launch vehicle are re-configured to meet human rating requirements and christened Human Rated
LVM3. HLVM3 will be capable of launching the Orbital Module to an intended Low Earth Orbit of 400
km.

HLVM3 consists of Crew Escape System (CES) powered by a set of quick acting, high burn rate solid
motors which ensures that Crew Module along with crew is taken to a safe distance in case of any
emergency either at launch pad or during ascent phase.

Crew training for Gaganyaan

Astronaut Training Facility established in Bengaluru caters to Classroom training, Physical Fitness
training, Simulator training and Flight suit training. Training modules cover academic courses,
Gaganyaan Flight Systems, Micro-gravity familiarization through Parabolic Flights, Aero-medical
training, Recovery & Survival training, mastering of Flight Procedures and training on Crew Training
Simulators. Aero medical training, Periodical flying practice and Yoga are also included as part of the
training.

Gaganyaan TV-D1 Mission

Mission Definition:

“In-flight Abort Demonstration of Crew Escape System (CES)” at Mach number 1.2 with the newly developed Test
Vehicle followed by Crew Module separation & safe recovery.

Mission Objectives:

• Flight demonstration and evaluation of Test Vehicle sub systems.

• Flight demonstration and evaluation of Crew Escape System including various separation systems.

• Crew Module characteristics & deceleration systems demonstration at higher altitude & its recovery

TV-D1 Vehicle:

The Liquid propelled single stage Test Vehicle uses a modified VIKAS engine with Crew Module (CM) and Crew
Escape System (CES) mounted at its fore end.
 International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is like a giant, habitable spaceship that travels around Earth in a special
orbit. It’s not owned by just one country but is a joint project involving space organizations from the United
States (NASA), Europe (ESA), Russia (Roscosmos), Canada (CSA), and Japan (JAXA). Floating about 250 miles
above the Earth, the ISS zooms around our planet at a super-fast speed of 17,500 miles per hour. That’s so fast
that it completes one full trip around Earth every 90 minutes!

But the ISS is not just a high-flying home for astronauts; it’s also like a cool space laboratory. Scientists use it to
study things like how things behave in microgravity, which is like really weak gravity. This helps us learn more
about space and do experiments in astronomy, physics, astrobiology, and even check out the weather in space!

The ISS is also like a testing ground for stuff we need for future space missions, like going to Mars or the Moon.
NASA, especially, uses the ISS to figure out what it’s like for people to live and work in space. All this info is
super important because it helps us understand what we need to do to survive on other planets someday!

Uses of International Space Station

• The International Space Station (ISS) has a big mission: to make space exploration possible and bring
benefits to people on Earth. It has six advanced labs where scientists work on cool projects in different
fields. These labs let us do experiments in low gravity that we can’t do on Earth. One super important
area is medicine – they’re doing groundbreaking research that wasn’t possible before.

• They’re studying how our bodies react to different gravity levels in space, which helps us understand
how astronauts can stay healthy during long trips to other planets. Imagine growing protein crystals in
space – that could help us find new cures for diseases! And there are tons of other space projects to
explore, like studying other planets.

• The ISS is like a gateway to new adventures in space. It’s a place where we can figure out how to live on
other planets. The scientists are also looking into what happens to our bodies when we’re in space for a
long time – like how weightlessness and radiation affect us. This way, we can get astronauts ready for
future trips to other planets!

Indian Space Station to be set up by 2035

India to send Man to Moon by 2040
India to undertake missions to Venus and Mars
Posted On: 17 OCT 2023 1:53PM by PIB Delhi
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to assess progress of India’s
Gaganyaan Mission and to outline the future of India’s space exploration endeavours.
• The Department of Space presented a comprehensive overview of the Gaganyaan Mission,
including various technologies developed so far such as human-rated launch vehicles and system
qualification. It was noted that around 20 major tests, including 3 uncrewed missions of the
Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3) are planned. First demonstration flight of the Crew
Escape System Test Vehicle is scheduled on 21 October. The meeting evaluated the mission’s
readiness, affirming its launch in 2025.
• Building on the success of the Indian space initiatives, including the recent Chandrayan-3 and
Aditya L1 Missions, Prime Minister directed that India should now aim for new and ambitious
goals, including setting up ‘Bharatiya Antariksha Station’ (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and
sending first Indian to the Moon by 2040.
• To realize this Vision, the Department of Space will develop a roadmap for Moon exploration.
This will encompass a series of Chandrayaan missions, the development of a Next Generation
Launch Vehicle (NGLV), construction of a new launch pad, setting up human-centric Laboratories
and associated technologies.
• Prime Minister also called upon Indian scientists to work towards interplanetary missions that
would include a Venus Orbiter Mission and a Mars Lander.
• Prime Minister Modi expressed confidence in India’s capabilities and affirmed the nation's
commitment to scaling new heights in space exploration.

Decadal Vision and Strategy for Indian Space Economy