Before we delve into the detailed analysis of our Pragyan Lander's upcoming 14-day schedule and the scientific instruments it carries aboard, let's take a moment to celebrate a historic achievement. India has made history by achieving a successful soft landing on the lunar south pole, making it the first country to do so. On August 23, 2023, at 6:04 PM IST, the Pragyan Lander touched down as planned.

This accomplishment not only grants India membership within the distinguished realm of the "Elite space club," but it also significantly enhances the dependability and prestige of the Indian Space Program in the estimation of Western nations and the global community at large, without a doubt.

Now, we know that our Propulsion Module is orbiting Moon, Vikram Lander has landed and stable on the Lunar's surface, Pragyan Rover is roving around the Moon and conducting experiments. Let's now understand the various payloads as well as the technologies our Chandrayaan 3 is equipped with and the experiments we're going to conduct throughout these 14 days counting today.

Credit: ISRO
Credit: ISRO

The propulsion module is equipped with the SHAPE payload, enabling the study of Earth's spectral and polarimetric characteristics from the lunar orbit. Spectral and polarimetric measurements are like taking special pictures of the Earth to learn more about it.

Imagine you have special glasses that can tell you more about the colors and light from Earth. That's what SHAPE does!

Spectro-Polarimetry: This is like using those special glasses to study the colors and how light is scattered.

How It Works:

  • Wearing the Glasses: Think of SHAPE as special glasses that can look at Earth from far away. Seeing Earth's
  • Colors: SHAPE can see the colors of light that Earth reflects, like blue from oceans and green from forests.
  • Understanding Light: It can also learn how light bounces off Earth and becomes scattered.
  • Learning About Our Home: By studying these colors and light, scientists can learn more about Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land.

Why It's Cool: SHAPE is like a space artist's tool, painting a detailed picture of our planet. It helps scientists understand Earth better as well as finding other habitable exo-planets.

Lander Payloads: 
1. ChaSTE: Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) to measure the thermal conductivity and temperature: This is about checking how hot or cold the Moon's surface gets and how it changes. Imagine you have a special thermometer you can put on the Moon's surface. ChaSTE is a bit like that! Imagine you're touching different things outside on a sunny day. Some things feel really hot, like a metal spoon left in the sun, and some things feel cooler, like the grass.

How It Works:

  • Putting on the Thermometer: Imagine placing a special device on the Moon's surface. This device can sense temperature changes.
  • Feeling the Heat: ChaSTE "feels" how hot or cold the Moon's surface is at different times.
  • Measuring Changes: It keeps track of how the temperature changes as the Moon moves through day and night.
  • Learning About the Moon: By knowing how the Moon's surface heats up and cools down, scientists can learn more about the materials on its surface and how it behaves.

Why It's Cool: ChaSTE is like a weather station for the Moon. It helps scientists understand how the Moon's surface responds to the Sun's heat. Just like we wear different clothes in different weather, studying the Moon's temperature helps us understand its "outfit" too!

2. ILSA: The Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) is employed to gauge the seismic activity in the vicinity of the landing location. Imagine putting a special microphone on the Moon to hear when it's shaking. That's what ILSA does! This means when the Moon's surface shakes, like it's having a tiny earthquake.

How It Works:
  • Placing the Microphone: Imagine putting a super-sensitive microphone on the Moon's surface.
  • Listening for Shakes: ILSA listens carefully to see if the Moon is shaking or moving.
  • Recording Quakes: When the Moon has a little quake, like when the ground moves, ILSA hears it and records the sound.
  • Understanding the Moon: Scientists can learn about the Moon's insides and how it changes by studying these shakes.

Why It's Cool: ILSA is like a Moon whisperer, eavesdropping on the Moon's secret rumbles. By hearing when the Moon moves, scientists can learn more about what's going on inside it and how it behaves.

3. RAMBHA: Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA): It's like using a special radio to study something's insides, like a doctor using a stethoscope to listen to your heart. This is a way of saying RAMBHA is like a super-sensitive radio that's paying attention to the air around the Moon. Imagine you're listening to the radio. Sometimes the signal is strong, and sometimes it's weak. Now, picture doing this on the way to the Moon. That's what RAMBHA is all about!

How It Works:

  • Sending Radio Waves: RAMBHA sends out radio waves from a spacecraft towards the Moon.
  • Bouncing Off the Moon: These radio waves bounce off the Moon's surface, but they also bounce off the thin air around the Moon (ionosphere and atmosphere).
  • Listening Carefully: RAMBHA listens to the bounced-back radio waves. By paying attention to how the signal changes, it can tell us about the air's thickness, how it's moving, and even what it's made of.

Why It's Cool: Studying the Moon's air can help us understand things like how it behaves and what it's like. RAMBHA is like a special space radio that's eavesdropping on the Moon's whispers, helping us learn more about its atmosphere and how it interacts with space.

4. LRA: A passive Laser Retroreflector Array(LRA) from NASA is accommodated for lunar laser ranging studies: How different parts of the Moon, like its surface, atmosphere, and movements, all work and interact together. It’s like a bunch of mirrors on the Moon that can reflect laser light back to Earth.

Imagine you have a mirror that bounces light back exactly where it came from. Now picture putting this special mirror on the Moon. That's what ISRO did in their Chandrayaan 3 mission!

How It Works:

  • Placing the Array: ISRO carefully put this mirror array on the Moon's surface during their experiments.
  • Sending Laser Beams: From Earth, scientists shoot laser beams towards the Moon.
  • Bouncing Back: When these laser beams hit the mirror array on the Moon, they bounce right back to Earth.
  • Measuring Distance: By timing how long it takes for the laser light to travel to the Moon and back, scientists can figure out the distance between the Earth and the Moon very precisely.

Why It's Cool: By measuring the distance to the Moon really accurately, scientists can learn more about Earth's movements, the Moon's orbit, and even things like the way gravity works. It's like using a Moon mirror to explore space from our own planet!

Rover Payloads:

LASER Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS): Figuring out what elements are there and how much of each, and figuring out what chemicals and minerals are on the Moon's surface to learn more about it.

Imagine you have a magic light that can tell you what things are made of. That's what LIBS does, but with lasers!

How It Works:

  • Zapping with Laser: LIBS uses a laser to zap or shoot a powerful burst of light at something, like a rock or soil.
  • Breaking Things Apart: The laser is so strong that it makes the surface of the thing kind of explode into tiny pieces.
  • Color Clues: When things break, they give off a special kind of light. This light has different colors, like a rainbow. Each color tells us about different elements or materials in the thing.
  • Glasses that See Colors: The spectroscope helps scientists see these colors and figure out what stuff the thing is made of.
Why It's Cool: LIBS is like a detective tool for space explorers. It lets them shoot light at things on planets or moons and figure out what's hiding inside. It's like shining a special light to uncover secrets about rocks, soil, or anything else they're curious about!

Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS): To find out what kinds of elements (like magnesium, aluminum, silicon, potassium, calcium, titanium, and iron) are in the soil and rocks near where we landed on the Moon.

Imagine you're a space detective trying to figure out what things are made of on other planets. APXS is like your special tool for the job!

How it works:
  • Inspecting with Particles: APXS shoots tiny invisible particles (alpha particles) at a rock or soil.
  • Kicking Up X-rays: When these particles hit the rock, they make X-rays jump out from the inside of the rock.
  • X-ray Patterns: The spectrometer reads the X-rays' patterns, like a secret code. Each element or material has its own code, so scientists can tell what's in the rock.
  • Detective Work: By understanding the codes, scientists can say, "Hey, this rock has a bit of iron, a pinch of oxygen, and a dash of other stuff!"

Why It's Cool: APXS is like a superpower for space scientists. It helps them know what things are made of on distant planets. Just like a detective solves mysteries, APXS helps scientists solve the mystery of what's hidden inside rocks and soil in space!