Chandrayaan-3: How AI Is Shaping India s Moon Mission

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India s space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has launched Chandrayaan-3, the country s third mission to the moon. The mission is a important milestone for India in its ambition to become a major space power. Chandrayaan-3 is the successor to Chandrayaan-2, which didn t achieve a soft landing on the moon. The new mission is designed to learn from the mistakes of its predecessor and make a successful landing.

Chandrayaan-3 is a landmark mission that will help India to demonstrate its ability in space exploration. The mission includes a rover that is powered by AI, which is expected to play a significant role in the success of the mission.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission Overview

Chandrayaan-3 is an ambitious mission that is designed to demonstrate the end-to-end capability for a safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. The mission is a follow-on to Chandrayaan-2, which was launched in 2019. Chandrayaan-2 was a successful mission, but the lander failed to land safely on the moon. Chandrayaan-3 has been developed to address the weaknesses of Chandrayaan-2 and to achieve a soft landing on the moon.

The mission includes a lander and a rover, which will be deployed near the moon s south pole. The lander and the rover will conduct scientific experiments to study the lunar surface and its composition. The mission aims to study the lunar surface and its evolution and to search for water ice in the lunar polar regions. Chandrayaan-3 is an important mission for India, as it will help to boost the country s capabilities in space exploration and create commercial opportunities in the space sector.

Launch of Chandrayaan-3

The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14, 2023, using the GSLV Mark 3 heavy lift launch vehicle. The launch took place from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India. The mission was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and is a significant milestone for India s space program. The launch was watched by over 1.4 million people on ISRO s YouTube channel.

Role of AI in Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3 includes a solar-powered robotic vehicle, known as Pragyan, which is powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The rover is equipped with a piece of motion technology developed by researchers at IIT-Kanpur, which will help the rover manoeuvre on the surface of the moon and aid in landing. The AI algorithm will help the rover trace water and other minerals on the lunar surface and send pictures for research and examination. The rover s AI algorithm will also map out the terrain and identify obstacles to avoid them. AI will be used to analyse the scientific data that is collected by the lander and the rover. This will help scientists to better understand the moon s composition and its history.

Scientific Payloads of Chandrayaan-3

The lander and the rover of Chandrayaan-3 are equipped with a range of scientific payloads that will contribute to photo-chemical scientific observations and experiments on the lunar surface. The lander payloads include the following:

In addition, a passive Laser Retroreflector Array from NASA will be accommodated for lunar laser ranging studies.

The rover payloads of Chandrayaan-3 include the following:

Benefits of Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3 is an important mission for India, as it will help to demonstrate the country s capabilities in space exploration. The mission is also expected to boost the Indian economy, as it will create jobs and open up commercial opportunities in the space sector. The mission will help India to become the fourth country to make a soft landing on the moon, after the former Soviet Union, the U.S., and China. India will also become the first country in the world to land at the lunar south pole, an area of special interest for space agencies and private space companies because of the presence of water ice that could support a future space station.

The use of AI in space exploration is becoming increasingly important. AI can help to make space missions safer, more efficient, and more productive. AI s ability to sift through humungous amounts of data and find correlations helps in intelligently analyzing that data. AI is also being used for trajectory and payload optimization. An AI known as AEGIS is already on the red planet onboard NASA s current rovers. The system can handle autonomous targeting of cameras and choose what to investigate. However, the next generation of AIs will be able to control vehicles, autonomously assist with study selection, and dynamically schedule and perform scientific tasks.

NASA is planning to launch the James Webb Space Telescope into an orbit of around 1.5 million kilometers from Earth in 2020. Part of the mission will involve AI-empowered autonomous systems overseeing the full deployment of the telescope s 705-kilo mirror. AI s role in space exploration is set to increase in the coming years, helping to make space exploration safer, more efficient, and more productive.

Chandrayaan-3 is a landmark mission for India, as it will help to demonstrate the country s capabilities in space exploration and create commercial opportunities in the space sector. The mission includes a solar-powered robotic vehicle, known as Pragyan, which is powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The rover is equipped.