Chandrayaan-3: India's space sector is roaring to go

If several wise men over millennia have revealed that a failure today may pave the path for future success, India’s national space agency—the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)—has amply demonstrated it by successfully landing the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft near the moon’s South Pole on August 23. This achievement makes India only the fourth after Russia, the US and China to perform a soft landing on the lunar surface, and the first to do so on the moon’s dark side.

Once the news of Vikram Lander touching down on the lunar regolith—bombarded by meteorites, solar particles and cosmic rays since the time earth’s natural satellite came into being—broke at 18:02 IST, the nation of 1.43 billion people erupted in euphoric celebrations. The convergence of 8 million viewers on YouTube to witness the triumph of Isro scientists broke all records previously set during the 2022 Football World Cup matches and music video releases by the South Korean boy band BTS. In his congratulatory address from the BRICS summit in South Africa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alluding to the country’s future interplanetary ambitions, said, “We refer to the earth as our mother and the moon as our Mama (maternal uncle) in India. ‘Chanda Mama is quite far away’ used to be the refrain. Soon, children will say things like, ‘Chanda Mama is just a tour away.'”

“This is not the work of us alone. This is the work of a generation of Isro leadership and its scientists. This is a journey we started with Chandrayaan-1, continued with Chandrayaan-2… and this (Chandrayaan-3) is a huge incremental progress,” Sridhar Panicker Somanath, Chairman of Isro, told his colleagues at the agency’s Mission Operations Complex in Bengaluru. He should know, for he was around when the lander sent with the Chandrayaan-2 mission crashed on the moon’s surface in September 2019. For nearly four years thereafter, he and the rest of the team worked day and night to perfect the third mission.

In its life span of one lunar day, equivalent to 14 earth days, the Vikram Lander, Pragyan Rover and the propulsion module have all commenced a series of scientific experiments. The four payloads on Vikram Lander will measure the density of changes in near-surface plasma comprising ions and electrons, thermal properties of the lunar surface near polar regions, seismicity around the landing site and delineating the structure of the lunar crust and mantle, as well as conduct a passive experiment to understand the dynamics of the moon system. To learn more about the lunar surface, the payloads on Pragyan (or ‘wisdom’) Rover will conduct qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis.

Experts believe Chandrayaan-3 will accelerate India’s self-reliance in emerging sectors and tech and boost its confidence. “Chandrayaan-3 is a classic lesson on focussed perseverance, economic innovation and sovereignty in new and emerging tech. The event will propel India’s space economy,” says Sreeram Ananthasayanam, Partner at Deloitte India.

India Inc.’s Contribution

Another crucial aspect here is the role played by India Inc. in developing essential technologies and mission-related components. Experts see this as yet another milestone in the evolution of the 400-odd private companies that form a part of the extensive vendor ecosystem that Isro has diligently developed over the last 54 years. Lt Gen. (Retd) Anil Kumar Bhatt, Director General of the apex industry association, Indian Space Association (ISpA), believes this will lead to the development of a thriving space economy. “An important step forward in space exploration and commercialisation will be with the inclusion of more private players and our growing spacetech start-ups in the future missions to make India a leader in the global space economy,” he says.

For Chandrayaan-3, Larsen & Toubro made launch vehicle booster segments and subsystems, Bharat Heavy Electricals supplied batteries, Kerala State Electronics Development Corp. developed electronic power modules and test and evaluation systems, and Walchand Industries made mission components. Subba Rao Pavuluri, Chairman and MD of Hyderabad-based Ananth Technologies, which supplied several mission-critical systems for the mission, says, “Chandrayaan-3 provides opportunities for co-operation with other space agencies, researchers, and institutions worldwide.”

Similarly, Godrej Aerospace, a subsidiary of Godrej & Boyce, provided liquid propulsion engines, satellite thrusters and control module components for the Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan missions. “This success reinforces our belief in the power of indigenous manufacturing and our contribution to pushing the boundaries of technological innovation,” says Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman & MD of Godrej & Boyce.

Amit Sharma, MD & CEO of Tata Consulting Engineers, a subsidiary of the Tata group, believes the mission will show India’s potential and scientific pioneering. “The success of this mission will inspire young scientific minds and future scientists and engineers, enabling India to innovate across sectors and take the Make in India mission to new heights.”

Chandrayaan-3 has, thus, literally taken India’s space sector over the moon.

@manishpant22