Chandrayaan 3 update: ‘Lander can handle rough landing too’, says ex-ISRO advisor

As Chandrayaan 3 is gearing up for a soft landing on the south pole of the moon on Wednesday, a former advisor to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has said that the lander can handle ‘rough landing too’.

Dr. Surendra Pal, former senior advisor for Satellite Navigation programme at ISRO, said,”The lander has the capability to hover like a helicopter if a proper spot for landing is not there. There are a lot of boulders and craters in the south pole of the Moon. The surface is very rough. The landing area has been increased from 2.5 kilometres to 4 kilometres”.

“The entire moon has been mapped using orbiter 2 pair cameras which have a resolution of 25 centimetres. Whatever photographs have been taken, they will be compared to find which is the suitable site”, Pal told ANI.

He added that if the ‘Vikram’ lander is unable to achieve a soft landing tomorrow, it can land on August 27. “The ISRO chairman in a statement has said that even if two thrusters work, we can land. A lot of changes are being done. Simulations, both software and hardware have been carried out. Things have been simulated on the surface of the moon”, Pal added.

“Soft landing means the legs of the lander can tolerate more than 3 metres per second of impact. What we presume is that the velocity will be 1.86 metres per second. Even if one of the lander’s legs lands on a slope, the landing will be a stable one. It can handle a bit of rough landing also”, the former ISRO advisor said.

Earlier in the day, ISRO said that the mission is on schedule. “The mission is on schedule. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing. The Mission Operations Complex (MOX) is buzzed with energy & excitement!”, ISRO had posted on X, while sharing images of the moon captured by the lander position camera at an altitude of 70 kilometres.