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India does not give up: after a failed attempt in 2019, the country wants to send another lunar vehicle to the moon on Friday. If the landing as part of the “Chandrayaan-3” mission succeeds, India would become the fourth largest space nation after China, Russia and the US. These countries have landed on the moon so far.

But there is still a long way to go for India: almost 400,000 kilometers. This is how far the moon is from Earth on average. Once there, the Indian propulsion module, which consists of a lander and a lunar vehicle, will enter orbit.

The lander and vehicle will not land on the surface of the Earth satellite until August 23 or 24 – the date is not yet certain. The target location is an Earth region near the moon’s south pole.

What is the moonstone made of?

There, the two devices will collect scientific data for 14 days. This includes information such as the thermal conductivity and temperature on the lunar surface. The devices must also examine the composition of the surface material.

The landing site is not chosen at random. Scientists have suspected for some time that there may be water molecules on the lunar surface. Water resources on the moon would be important for future lunar missions to supply astronauts.

While the two Indian devices collect their data on the moon, the propulsion module should also provide scientific findings during its journey around the moon.

The Indian probe will study the Earth’s atmosphere with a newly developed instrument from the moon. The results could help astronomers search for exoplanets with atmospheres similar in composition to Earth’s.

The last attempt to land had failed

India plans to launch its three-stage Launch Vehicle Mark 3 rocket on July 14 at 11:05 am. The spaceport is located on the southeast coast of India on the island of Sriharikota.

It is the country’s second attempt to land a vehicle on the moon in a controlled manner. The last landing failed in 2019 when the Indian space agency lost contact with the landing module just short of the moon’s surface.

A few months ago, the unmanned mission of the Japanese start-up Ispace to bring their moon lander “Hakuto-R” to the surface also failed. The shuttle crashed to the ground uncontrollably after the spacecraft ran out of fuel.

Both India and China are signatories to the Artemis Accords drafted by NASA and the US State Department. The participating countries commit themselves to the peaceful use of the moon and other celestial bodies. Nearly 30 states are signatories. (t online)