The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is on the cusp of making history today as its Chandrayaan-3 mission enters its final stage, aiming for a soft landing on the moon. The event is scheduled for 6.04 PM. Indian Standard Time (IST), and if successful, will mark India's entry into an elite club of nations capable of landing a spacecraft on the lunar surface.

For those interested in witnessing this landmark event, ISRO will begin live streaming the landing at 5.20 PM. IST, 44 minutes ahead of the targeted landing time. That means in Bangladesh, the live streaming will begin from 5:50 PM. The livestream will be available on ISRO's official website and YouTube channel. 

The mission

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-up to the Chandrayaan-2 mission, which met an unfortunate end in 2019 when it crashed just before landing. The current mission was launched on July 14 and has been in lunar orbit for 40 days. The spacecraft aims to explore the moon's south pole, a region rich in water ice that could potentially be a source of oxygen, fuel, and water for future moon missions or even a permanent lunar colony.

In a recent update, ISRO announced that the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, which has been orbiting the moon since 2019, successfully communicated with the Chandrayaan-3 lander. The orbiter is expected to assist in relaying communications between the Chandrayaan-3 rover and Earth's space stations.

If the Chandrayaan-3 lander, named Vikram, successfully lands on the moon, it is expected to remain operational for approximately two weeks. During this period, it will conduct a series of experiments, including a spectrometer analysis of the mineral composition of the lunar surface.

A successful landing would not only be a monumental achievement for India but also a significant milestone for global space exploration. It would provide valuable data and insights into the moon's south pole, potentially aiding future missions from other countries.