As Chandrayaan-3 Gears Up For Moon Landing, Here's A Look At India's Landmark Space Missions

India's Chandrayaan-3 is scheduled to land on the moon's south pole today. If successful, India will become the fourth country to do a soft landing on the lunar surface after the US, China and the former Soviet Union. The nation will also become the first country to soft-land on the lunar south pole which is of much interest because of the possibility of finding water. 

Now, with only a few hours left for the historic landing of Chandrayaan-3, here's a look at India's previous landmark space missions - 

Aryabhata - 1975 

The Arybhata spacecraft was India's first satellite. It was named after a famous Indian astronomer and mathematician of the 5th century CE. According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the spacecraft was completely designed and fabricated in India and launched by a Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket on April 19, 1975. 

Indian National Satelliete (INSAT) - 1983

INSAT or the Indian National Satellite System is a series of multipurpose Geo-stationary satellites launched by the Indian space agency to satisfy the telecommunications, broadcasting, meteorology, and search and rescue needs of the country. INSAT was commissioned in 1983 and its is the largest domestic communication system in the Asia Pacific Region. 

The main objectives for this mission are to provide an operational, environmental and storm warning system to protect life and property, as per ISRO. 

Chandrayaan - 2008 

Chandrayaan 1 was India's first mission to the Moon. It was launched in October 2008 with a planned mission life of two years. The spacecraft carried 11 scientific instruments built in India, USA, UK, Germany, Sweden and Bulgaria. It orbited the Moon at a height of 100 km from the lunar surface, conducting chemical, mineralogical, and photo-geologic mapping of the Moon.

In 2009, the spacecraft shifted to an orbit 200 km from the Moon after achieving major mission objectives. However, on August 29, 2009, Chandrayaan-1 lost communication.

Mangalyaan - 2014

Mangalyaan, or Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), was India's maiden mission to Mars. The Indian Space Research Organisation launched the spacecraft on November 5, 2013, and it successfully entered Mars orbit on September 23, 2014. The whole mission was launched on a shoestring budget, and even though the satellite was only designed for a six-month-long mission, it continued to offer its services for almost eight years. 

The Mars mission was aimed at putting an orbiter around Mars. The Mars Orbiter Mission carried five scientific payloads weighing about 15 kg. They collected data on surface geology, morphology, atmospheric processes, surface temperature, and the atmospheric escape process, as per ISRO. 

ISRO launched 104 satellites in one mission - 2017

Indian created history in February 2017 by successfully launching 104 satellites on a single mission. The launch took place from the Sriharikota space centre in Andhra Pradesh. 

Of the 104 small satellites, 96 belong to the United States while Israel, Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland and the Netherlands are the other foreign clients. The total weight of all the satellites carried on board is about 1,378 kg.

Chandrayaan-2 - 2019 

ISRO launched India's second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 on July 22, 2019. The launch took place from the Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. The spacecraft comprised an Orbiter, Lander and Rover to explore the unexplored South Pole of the Moon.

The spacecraft was inserted into lunar orbit on August 20, 2019. The Chandrayaan-2 mission was India's first attempt to land on the lunar surface. However, the lander Vikram hard-landed in September 2019. But ISRO chief K Sivan had said that the Chandrayaan-2 mission has achieved 98% of its objectives.

Chandrayaan-3 - 2023 

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. The mission was launched on July 14 from India's main spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.

The spacecraft will now attempt to land on the moon's south pole today evening. The live telecast of the event will be available on the ISRO website, its YouTube channel, Facebook, and public broadcaster DD National TV from 5:27 PM.