As India prepares for its third moon mission, scientists at the Space Physics Laboratory (SPL) of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) here are looking to turn a four-year-old disappointment into one big triumph.
Two of their scientific payloads were on board the Chandrayaan-2 mission’s Vikram lander which, to the dismay of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), crashed on the lunar surface in 2019.
These payloads — Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) and Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive Ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA) — are also part of the upcoming Chandrayaan-3 mission, providing the SPL and ISRO a second chance at studying certain vital aspects of earth’s lone natural satellite.
