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4 Mission

Chandrayaan 3

Warm Up

● What is the planet we live on called?
● What are the other planets of the solar system? Name them.
● What is space research?

● Do you think it’s important for scientists to do space research? Why?

Reading skills

Chandrayaan, an incredible series of lunar explorations by ISRO, the Indian Space Research

Organization, has brought us closer to the mysteries of the Moon.

The first mission, Chandrayaan 1, launched in 2008 was a breakthrough as it discovered
water on the Moon, changing the way we perceived our celestial neighbour. However the real
surprise was yet to come. Chandrayaan 2 launched in 2019, was designed with an orbiter, a

lander named, Vikram and a rover called Pragyan. Unfortunately during its attempt to land,
Vikram lost contact and couldn’t reach the Moon’s surface as planned due to a small error.
K. Sivan, the chairman of ISRO described this nerve-racking process as the “15 minutes of

terror” for his team. The setback was not only
disheartening for the ISRO scientists but also
a poignant moment for the entire nation.

But ISRO didn’t succumb to despair. Instead,

they embraced the challenge, learned from
their mistakes, and immediately embarked
on their next venture, Chandrayaan 3.

On the remarkable day of July 14th, 2023,

the powerful LVM 3 heavy lift rocket lifted
off flawlessly from Sriharikota Space Station
in Andhra Pradesh carrying the Chandrayaan 3 spacecraft with the Vikram lander and the

Pragyan rover on board. This spacecraft had a special mission, a 41- day journey to the Moon.

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