The lander module of Chandrayaan 3, ISRO’s third Moon mission, is set to attempt landing on the lunar mission on Wednesday evening. A successful soft landing will make India the first country to reach the uncharted south pole of the Moon, Earth’s only natural satellite. Chandrayaan 3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 aimed at demonstrating safe and soft-landing on the lunar surface, roving on the Moon, and conducting in-situ scientific experiments.
The Moon’s south pole region is of interest because there could be a possibility of water in permanently shadowed areas around it. The lander and rover of Chandrayaan 3 will have a mission life of one lunar day (about 14 earth days) to study the surroundings on the Moon’s south pole. ISRO officials, however, haven’t ruled out the possibility of the lander module coming to life for another lunar day.