Learn everything there is to know about Chandrayaan-3's potential to reveal a new source of lunar energy

 Learn everything there is to know about Chandrayaan-3's potential to reveal a new source of lunar energy

Learn everything there is to know about Chandrayaan-3's potential to reveal a new source of lunar energy

The lander will enter an orbit with its closest point to the moon (Perilune) at 30 km and its furthest point (the Apolune) at 100 km during the following deboosting operation, which is slated for August 20, 2023, according to ISRO.

Chandrayaan-3 is moving without incident and is on track to land near the southern pole of the moon on August 23. This mission represents a big step forward for India's lunar exploration goals.

The previous Chief Controller (R&D) from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Apathukatha Sivathanu Pillai, expressed confidence in the mission's success on Saturday. He said, "The drop to the moon is started, having changed from an orbit of around 100 km to one of 30 km. In a conversation with ANI, I stated, "I am convinced it will be a complete success.

Pillai, who is also a former BrahMos Aerospace CEO and MD, stressed the importance of Chandrayaan-3 and said that it will be crucial in discovering lunar resources, especially Helium-3, which has the potential to be a future energy source.

By completing this mission, India will surpass the United States, Russia, and China to become the fourth country in the world to accomplish this feat.

What is hydrogen-3?

With one neutron and two protons in its nucleus, helium-3 (He-3) is an isotope of the noble gas helium that is not radioactive. Although it is very uncommon on Earth, certain natural gas sources contain trace levels of it. Although it is also created in small amounts by nuclear processes in stars, it is more prevalent on the moon.

Due to its potential to be used as a fuel for advanced nuclear fusion processes, helium-3 has attracted a lot of attention.

The mechanism that drives the sun and other stars is called fusion, and if it were to be used on Earth, it might produce an almost infinite supply of clean energy without the radioactive waste that results from nuclear fission processes today.

The fusion of helium-3 with both deuterium would primarily produce nonradioactive products, thus providing a safer and cleaner option for energy production than the more popular forms of nuclear fusion that use isotopes of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium), which produce powerful neutrons and radioactive waste. Additionally, a sizable quantity of energy is released as charged particles during the fusion of helium-3 and deuterium, which might be used to generate electricity.

However, there are still many technological obstacles to overcome before we can build realistic fusion reactors that can perform controlled and sustained fusion processes, including fusion of helium-3. Although helium-3 has the potential to provide cleaner, more effective energy, its practical application on Earth is now constrained by economic and technological constraints.

Discussions of mining helium-3 from the moon have arisen because of interest in its potential as an energy source. This is because the lunar surface has greater concentrations of helium-3 due to its exposure to the solar wind. This is one of the causes for the increased interest in lunar exploration and resource analysis in the context of long-term energy solutions, as demonstrated by missions like Chandrayaan-3.

According to ISRO, the Vikram LM (Lander Module) completed a deboosting operation successfully, bringing its orbit down to 113 km by 157 km.

On July 14, 2023, Chandrayaan-3 was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota using a GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle.

Despite experiencing setbacks brought on by the COVID-19 epidemic, the mission persevered and is very close to achieving its goals.

The lander will enter an orbit with its closest point to the moon, the Perilune, at 30 km, and its furthest point, the Apolune, at 100 km, on August 20, 2023, according to ISRO.

The mission's objectives include a safe and gentle landing, lunar surface exploration using the rover, and in-situ scientific investigations.

India's interest in lunar exploration dates back to the Chandrayaan-1 mission, which produced important scientific discoveries in 2009. Despite difficulties, Chandrayaan-2's 2019 effort at a soft landing produced useful data, including the finding of aqueous ice on the lunar surface.