'Chandrayaan-3' moon mission to be launched early next year, won't include orbiter this time

India's 'Chandrayaan-3' moon mission is likely to be launched early next year, i.e. in the first quarter of 2021. The third planned lunar exploration mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is likely to only include a 'lander' and a 'rover' similar to that of Chandrayaan-2 but will not have an orbiter. This information was provided by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State (MoS) for the Department of Space. 

Contact with Chandrayaan-2 was broken in September last year when the snag in communication led to the failure of the mission's soft landing attempt on the lunar surface after successful orbital insertion. Thereafter, ISRO proposed the launch of 'Chandrayaan-3', the third lunar exploration mission that will successfully demonstrate soft landing this time.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak and the subsequent COVID-19-necessitated lockdown led to a delay in the launch of the 'Chandrayaan-3' lunar exploration mission. It is now expected to be launched in early 2021. However, if this schedule is adhered to, India will become the world's fourth country to conduct a soft lunar landing.

Along with the Chandrayaan-3, preparations are also on for India's first expedition to send humans into space. It can be launched around 2022, sources said.

Notably, although the contact has been lost with Chandrayaan-2's lander and rover, the orbiter is still doing its job and orbiting the Moon on a polar orbit at an altitude of 100 km, conducting high-resolution observations of the landing site prior to the separation of the lander from the orbiter.