Its the final hours until the landing of the Chandrayaan-3 on the moon, and India's moon mission is at the crucial stage  as the spacecraft is preparing to land on the lunar surface at around 6:04 pm.

The live telecast of the mission is on schedule to begin on Wednesday at 5:20 pm.

India is aiming to land at the south pole of the, and if the Lander accomplishes a ‘soft landing’ on the Moon’s south pole, it will make India the only country to do so. Once that happens, the rover, which is a small vehicle that is meant to move around on the Moon’s surface, will come out of the Lander.

All of the previous spacecraft to have landed on the Moon have landed in the region near the Moon’s equator, firstly because it is easier and safer here. The terrain and temperature are more conducive for a long and sustained operation of instruments. Sunlight is also present, offering a regular supply of energy to solar-powered instruments.

According to ISRO, the mission’s three objectives are to demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, to demonstrate a Rover roving on the Moon and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

Soft landing simply means landing at a gentle, controlled speed to not sustain damage to a spacecraft.

The polar regions of the Moon, however, are different. Many parts lie in a completely dark region without sunlight, and temperatures can go below 230 degrees Celsius. This creates difficulty in the operation of instruments. In addition, there are large craters all over the place.

As a result, the polar regions of the Moon have remained unexplored. The extremely cold temperatures could mean that anything trapped in the region would remain frozen in time, without undergoing much change. The rocks and soil in Moon’s north and south poles could therefore provide clues to the early Solar System.

Source: IndianExpress