Chandrayaan-3 for Kids: India’s Third Moon Mission

Chandrayaan-3 was indeed a proud moment for all Indians. We became the fourth nation to land on the moon and the first to land on the south pole of the moon with Chandrayaan-3. This news is exciting for both children and adults. That is why today we will share with you the key things you can tell your children about Chandrayaan-3 in the simplest words possible. Excited? Let’s go!

Things every child should know about Chandrayaan-3

Here are a few questions and answers that will help you explain the Chandrayaan-3 mission to your little ones. 

What is Chandrayaan-3?

Chandrayaan-3 is a spacecraft made by Indian scientists working for an organisation called ISRO. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is the space agency of India. Following Chandrayaan-2, India continued its moon expedition with Chandrayaan-3. 

• Expedition (noun) – A planned trip with a specific reason

Image Source: Indian Space Research Organisation, GODL-India, via Wikimedia Commons

What is special about Chandrayaan-3?

Chandrayaan-3 is special because it did something that had never been done before. It soft-landed near the south pole of the moon for the first time ever. The south pole of the moon is unique because this part of the moon hosts water as ice. Since the moon’s south pole is permanently shaded regions (PSRs) where the sun never shines, it maintains an extremely low temperatures and protects valuable water ice from melting. Water on moon can be used for cooling down machines or can also be used as fuel. It could also mean that we don’t have to bring everything we need from Earth on future moon missions. Chandrayaan-3 will help us learn more about this area as it conducts science experiments, finds out what the moon is made up of, searches for water ice, and so on.

From where and when did the Chandrayaan-3 mission take off?

The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LMV3) was used to launch Chandrayaan-3 on 14 August 2023. Consider LMV3 to be the car that takes Chandrayaan-3 to the moon. 

Image Source: Chandrayaan-3 Gallery of ISRO.gov.in

How does Launch Vehicle Mark-3 work? 

ISRO made the LMV3 rocket. It has three parts that are very important. The rocket gets off the ground with the help of the big engines on the sides. The liquid fuel in the middle of the rocket is what sends it up into space. Cryogenic fuel is at the very top. It is very cold, which gives rockets the boost they need to go to places in space that are very far away. This is how LMV3 helped Chandrayaan-3 get close to the south pole of the moon.

Image Source: Chandrayaan-3 Gallery of ISRO.gov.in

What is Chandrayaan-3 made up of?

Here are the key parts that make up Chandrayaan-3. 

• Lander named Vikram: It was built at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. It is a spacecraft with four legs to land softly on the moon.  
• Rover named Pragyan: It was built at the Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It has six wheels and can drive on the moon, just like a tiny car. The Pragyan rover was designed to work on the moon, which has much less gravity than earth. When we drop something, like a piece of fruit, gravity pulls it down and makes it fall. Gravity is the reason we can walk on the ground. 
• Propulsion module (PM): The main job of the propulsion module is to carry lander (Vikram) and rover (Pragyan) to the moon. 

Image Source: Indian Space Research Organisation, GODL-India, via Wikimedia Commons

Chandrayaan-3 successfully soft-landed on the moon on 23 August 2023. With that, India became the fourth country to land on the moon and the first ever to land on the south pole of the moon. 

As you read this out to your children, do emphasise that great things are within our reach with the help of science and technology, and that there is still so much more to learn about the universe. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: This post has been overly simplified to make it easy for children (Ages 5–8) to read and understand. 

Also read, 

• ‘What If’ Scenarios on the Moon Explored: Top 3 Picks
• Exploring the Moon’s South Pole: Chandrayaan-3’s Physics Feat