No orbiter; cost less than Baahubali

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Four years after the setback in Chandrayaan II, the main difference with the third Chandrayaan is that there is no orbiter probe. The cost is less than the epic film Baahubali.

Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover were the names given to the equipment in Chandrayaan 2, but this time there are no such names. The orbiter, carrying the lander and rover, was a critical component of Chandrayaan 2. That orbiter is still orbiting the moon. The orbiter was the contact Chandrayaan 2 had with Earth as well. The lander and rover crashed on the lunar soil, but the successful orbiter continued to orbit the moon for two years and continued to transmit information to Earth. This time the orbiter was excluded due to two reasons. One is to cut costs, and two is that an orbiter service is no longer necessary.

Instead of the orbiter, this time the lander and the rover will be carried to the lunar orbit by the Propulsion Module. This module, carrying enough fuel, will carry the lander safely to the surface of the moon, while the rover will remain safely inside the lander. The lander also has communication systems. With this, the cost has been reduced from 978 crores to 615 crores. Big-budget films like Baahubali 1 and 2 and RRR movies have costed more than this.

Lander's legs were strengthened this time. If the size of the landing area was 500 meters wide and 500 meters long for Chandrayaan 2, Chandrayaan 3's lander can land anywhere in a 4 km long and 2.5 km wide area as per convenience. Chandrayaan 2 had nine instruments but Chandrayaan 3 has only seven instruments. There are more solar panels. The lander holds more fuel also.