When Indian space agency scientists set out to design the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission, they knew they had one more chance to make history with a landing on the lunar south pole after a failed attempt four years ago. But they also knew they had to do it on a shoestring budget, and they did. The whole mission cost only 6.15 billion rupees or about $75 million, which is less than Bollywood blockbusters and even Hollywood films like the sci-fi movie Gravity, which had a budget of $100 million (or about Rs 813 crore).
The spacecraft lifted off from Sriharikota on July 14 atop a PSLV rocket, carrying a lander and a small rover. The lander will operate for about one lunar day (or 14 Earth days), and the rover will explore the Moon’s surface, collecting data to answer scientific questions and demonstrate India’s ability to carry out complex space missions.
But the most remarkable aspect of the mission is its cost. Its budget is just a fraction of what the United States’ top global competitors spend on their missions, and it’s even less than what the wealthiest sportspeople earn in a year. That includes footballers Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, and basketball player LeBron James.
India’s frugality in space missions has become the envy of its global peers, and the nation’s space agency has lowered costs without compromising on technology or performance. It has also built a reputation for being very innovative, and that innovation can be seen in the latest Chandrayaan-3 mission. For instance, it opted to use a “failure-based” design for the lunar landing, meaning that its engineers focused more on what could go wrong than what was going right. This approach allowed them to reduce the number of systems that needed to be tested, ultimately lowering the overall risk of failure.
As Chandrayaan-3 entered its final descent paused for about 10 seconds before descending to the lunar surface at nearly 8,000 feet per second. It then used its braking engines to slow down to a gentle halt, guiding itself toward the target region on the Moon.
The spacecraft landed in a chosen spot because it is close to where the Soviet-era Luna-25 spacecraft crashed on its first try at landing a decade ago. This area is characterized by high mountains and flat valleys, allowing the rover to explore the surface’s topography and search for water, ice, and other resources beneath the soil. The lander and rover also collect data to help scientists better understand the Moon, which could help them land astronauts on its surface one day. The US State Department congratulated ISRO and vowed to work together “to continue to lead the world in space exploration.”
