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As scientists at ISRO gear up for the much-awaited soft landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the Moon‘s surface, the space agency may postpone the touchdown to August 27 in the event that health parameters of the lander module are found to be “abnormal”, a senior official has said. 

ISRO had planned the soft landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft at 06.04 pm IST on August 23.

The Moon mission was launched on July 14 at 2.35 PM IST from Sriharikota.

According to ISRO Space Applications Centre Director Nilesh Desai, the focus of the scientists would be on reducing the speed of the spacecraft above the lunar surface.

“The lander will try to land on the Moon’s surface from a height of 30km on August 23, and its velocity at that time will be 1.68 km per second. Our focus will be on reducing that speed because the Moon’s gravitational force will also play its part,” he told PTI in Ahmedabad.

“If we do not control that speed, there will be chances of a crash landing. If any health parameter (of the lander module) is found abnormal on August 23, then we will postpone the landing to August 27,” he said.

Responding to a query, Desai expressed hope that scientists would try to make the lander module land on the lunar surface successfully.

“The landing begins at 06.04 PM IST. Two hours before that, we will upload the commands. We will do an analysis of the telemetry signal and consider the conditions of the Moon. If any health parameter goes wrong, we will push it to August 27 and will try to land (on that day) if all goes well,” he said.

Observing that the final 17 minutes of the descent of the lander module are “very vital”, he said, “When we begin landing, four-engine thrusters will fire and reduce its speed.” “When the lander is at a height of 800m from the lunar surface, running on two engines, the speed will reach zero. From 800m to 150m, it (lander module) will descend vertically,” he said.

Data collected using the sensors on board the lander module will be very important and, on that basis, the landing site would be chosen, he said.

“We have sensors that would transmit exact information about the speed and distance of the lander from the Moon’s surface,” he said.

“Planning (safe-landing on the lunar surface) has been done keeping various scenarios in mind. We hope to land at 70 degrees latitude safely on the Moon’s South Pole on August 23,” he said.

To another query, he said,” A lot of upgrades have been made this time. Hardware systems are made robust. We will be successful (in soft landing on the lunar surface),” he said.

In case the mission shifts to August 27, he said, “we have chosen another landing site which is 400 km away from the main landing site.” Speaking about Russia’s Luna-25 mission that crash landed on the Moon, Desai said Moscow has a lot of resources and despite that, they failed.

“They were trying to proceed to the South Pole of the Moon. It is normal to be disappointed (since the mission failed). At ISRO, we have been working to make the Chandrayaan-3 mission a success for the past four years,” he said.

“The previous Chandrayaan-2 mission was a failure during soft landing. We have learned from our mistakes. (This time) we have made a lot of changes and added new sensors,” he said.

He said the scientists conducted a lot of field trials and carried out tests in various centres of ISRO.

“We are confident this time. We hope to succeed this time. People’s wishes are also with us.” he said.

Earlier in the day, ISRO said the mission is on schedule and it is smooth sailing for the spacecraft.

“The mission is on schedule. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing,” ISRO said.

Chandrayaan-3 lander module’s soft landing on the lunar surface would put India in the elite club of countries that have reached the Moon’s surface — the United States, the erstwhile Soviet Union and China.


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T Corona Borealis May Erupt Soon: Rare Nova Could Be Visible to Naked Eye

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T Corona Borealis May Erupt Soon: Rare Nova Could Be Visible to Naked Eye

T Corona Borealis is a binary star system in the Northern Crown constellation which is being monitored closely by astronomers worldwide for signs of a rare stellar eruption. The system consists of a white dwarf and a red giant orbiting each other with the white dwarf pulling material from its companion. The gradual accumulation of matter on the surface of dwarf white planet can lead to a thermonuclear explosion, known as a Nova. Scientists recorded the last erupted Nova in 1946. Now, there have been some indications that we might experience another nova outburst in the near future.

The researchers have recorded a brightening event in 2015 followed by a dimming in 2023, which has mirrored the pattern seen in the last eruption. This leads the experts to believe that there might be another nova outburt. If an eruption occurs T Corona Borealis could become visible to the naked eye and shine as brightly as the most prominent stars.

Accretion Activity and Expert Predictions

According to a study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the system has exhibited behaviour similar to the years leading up to its previous eruption. T Corona Borealis is one of only eleven recurrent novae observed in recorded history with eruptions noted in 1217, 1787, 1866 and 1946. As per the latest data available with the researchers, the accretion disc surrounding the white dwarf has became highly active and bright between 2015 and 2023. The study reveals that this heightened activity could trigger an eruption within a year or two.

There are multiple predictions from the scientists based on orbital analysis suggesting possible eruption dates. As per multiple reports, the Nova outburst might take place between March 27 or November 10 this year or June 25, 2026. The researchers has also suggested a theory regarding a potential third object influencing the binary system. Astronomers like Dr Léa Planquart of Université de Strasbourg and Dr Jeremy Shears of the British Astronomical Association have dismissed this theory citing the absence of supporting evidence. Both experts believe the activity of the accretion disc remains the most likely cause of an impending eruption.

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Scientists Spot a Key Difference in Matter and Antimatter Decay

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Scientists Spot a Key Difference in Matter and Antimatter Decay

A key difference has been observed in the behaviour of matter and antimatter particles by researchers working at a particle physics laboratory. A new measurement has been carried out that recorded the decay of a specific type of matter particle and its antimatter equivalent. This development is being seen as significant because it may explain why the universe is filled with matter while antimatter is nearly absent. The discovery has been described as a step towards solving one of physics’ biggest mysteries.

New Study Reveals Baryon Decay Difference

According to the research shared by the LHCb experiment at CERN and posted on the arXiv preprint server, a difference has been recorded in how a particle called the beauty-lambda baryon and its antimatter counterpart decay. These particles belong to the proton family and are classified as baryons. The report further added that the decay was observed into a proton and three mesons based on data collected between 2009 and 2018.

The evidence suggests that the decay of the beauty-lambda baryon differs from its antimatter twin. According to sources involved in the study the likelihood of this difference being a random occurrence is less than one in three million. Tim Gershon who is a particle physicist at the University of Warwick and part of the research team told Nature that this is the first time such a difference has been spotted in baryons.

Experts Say Findings Could Aid Understanding of Matter’s Prevalence

Tara Shears who is a particle physicist at the University of Liverpool stated to Nature that the observation could offer new insight into why matter is found in abundance while antimatter is not. She said that this imbalance is one of the major unresolved questions in physics.

Yuval Grossman a theoretical physicist from Cornell University mentioned to Nature that while the current measurement does not fully explain the imbalance it helps add a crucial piece to the puzzle.

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China Loses 26 Percent of Its Glaciers Due to Global Warming, Claims New Study

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China Loses 26 Percent of Its Glaciers Due to Global Warming, Claims New Study

China has reportedly witnessed a significant decline in glacier area over the last six decades. As per a new study published online,  the country has lost nearly 26 percent of its total glacier coverage since the 1960s. The study claims that the lost of such glacier area might be due to the rapid increase in global temperatures around the globe. Official data confirmed that close to 7000 small glaciers have entirely vanished from the landscape. The shrinking of glacier masses has been observed to accelerate over the past few years as warming trends continue to intensify.

Glacier Loss Confirmed by Chinese Academy of Sciences

According to a study released by the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources under the Chinese Academy of Sciences it was recorded that China’s glacier area had reduced to nearly 46000 square kilometres by 2020. The total number of glaciers was stated to be around 69000 at that time. This marked a steep fall from an earlier figure of approximately 59000 square kilometres reported between 1960 and 1980 when glacier count stood at roughly 46000.

Impact of Glacier Retreat on Water Security and Environment

The melting of glaciers has raised concerns over freshwater availability across several regions. Environmental agencies have cautioned that the loss of glacier mass may result in higher competition for water resources in the years to come. The Tibetan Plateau which hosts a large portion of these glaciers has been referred to as the Third Pole owing to the vast ice reserves it holds.

Efforts to Slow Glacier Melting

Attempts have been made by Chinese authorities to slow the melting process through technological interventions. Artificial snow systems and snow blankets have been deployed as part of these initiatives.

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