Chandrayaan-3 completes essential pre-launch tests | India News

BENGALURU: The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Thursday said the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully completed the essential tests that validated its capability to withstand the harsh vibration and acoustic environment that the spacecraft would face during its launch.
Terming the tests another milestone, the space agency said these tests were conducted during the first week of March 2023 at the test facilities located at the UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru.
“These tests are an essential part of the qualification and acceptance process for any spacecraft. These tests were particularly challenging, considering the fact that the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is a composite of three modules — propulsion, lander and Rover,” Isro said.

The vibration and acoustic tests carried out on the integrated spacecraft have provided sufficient confidence on the structural integrity and survivability in the launch environment, it added.
Chandrayaan-3, India’s third Moon mission and the second one attempting to land equipment on the lunar surface has been progressing at a quick pace in the past few months. There were two key tests relating to the project that were completed in February and January.
On February 24, Isro completed the flight acceptance hot-test of the CE-20 cryogenic engine that will power the cryogenic upper stage (CUS) of the GSLV-Mk3 or LVM3 launch vehicle for the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
“The hot test was carried out for a planned duration of 25 seconds at the high altitude test facility. All the propulsion parameters during the test were found satisfactory and closely matched with predictions. The cryogenic engine will be further integrated with the propellant tanks, stage structures and associated fluid lines to realise the fully integrated flight cryogenic stage,” Isro had said.
And, between January 31 and February 3, the Chandrayaan-3 lander successfully underwent EMI/EMC (Electro – Magnetic Interference/ Electro-Magnetic Compatibility) test.
According to Isro, the test is conducted for satellite missions to ensure the functionality of the satellite subsystems in the space environment and their compatibility with the expected electromagnetic levels. This test is a major milestone in the realisation of the satellites.
Reiterating that the Chandrayaan-3 mission has three major modules — the Propulsion module, Lander module, and Rover — Isro said, the mission’s complexity calls for establishing radio-frequency (RF) communication links between the modules.
“During the Chandrayaan-3 lander EMI/EC test, launcher compatibility, antenna polarisation of all RF systems, standalone auto compatibility tests for orbital and powered descent mission phases, and lander & rover compatibility tests for post landing mission phase were ensured. The performance of the systems was satisfactory,” Isro said.