Bhubaneswar, Aug 23:Though the objectives of both missions are similar, these are the major differences between the two phases of India’s moon mission:
- Chandrayaan 2 comprised an orbiter, lander, and rover, whereas Chandrayaan 3 substitutes the orbiter with a propulsion module.
- Chandrayaan 3's lander boasts an Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) aimed at measuring lunar plasma density.
- In terms of weight, Chandrayaan 3 weighs approximately 3,900 kg, encompassing the propulsion module (2,148 kg), lander module (1,752 kg), and rover module (26 kg), contrasting with Chandrayaan 2's total weight of 3,850 kg.
-Chandrayaan 2 was devised for an extended mission spanning 7 years, while Chandrayaan 3 adheres to a fixed timeline of 3 to 6 months.
- Chandrayaan 3 is equipped with two robust hazard detection cameras, an improvement over the single camera on Chandrayaan 2.
- Chandrayaan 2's orbiter carried nine in-situ instruments, whereas Chandrayaan 3's propulsion module will feature a single instrument named Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planetary Earth (SHAPE) to study Earth's spectral and polarimetric measurements from the lunar orbit.
- Chandrayaan 3 incorporates a Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) within the lander, functioning as a secondary experiment contributing to comprehending the dynamics of the lunar system.
