--- title: "Chandrayaan-3 | Whitepill" canonical_url: "https://www.whitepill.in/milestones/chandrayaan-3" last_updated: "2026-09-07T19:13:58.734Z" meta: description: "Chandrayaan-3 was India's third lunar exploration mission and successfully demonstrated India's capability to achieve a controlled soft landing and rover ope..." "og:description": "Chandrayaan-3 was India's third lunar exploration mission and successfully demonstrated India's capability to achieve a controlled soft landing and rover ope..." "og:title": "Chandrayaan-3 | Whitepill" "twitter:description": "Chandrayaan-3 was India's third lunar exploration mission and successfully demonstrated India's capability to achieve a controlled soft landing and rover ope..." "twitter:title": "Chandrayaan-3 | Whitepill" --- [All milestones](https://www.whitepill.in/milestones) Science & Space Government # Chandrayaan-3 23 August 2023 Chandrayaan-3 was India's third lunar exploration mission and successfully demonstrated India's capability to achieve a controlled soft landing and rover operations on the Moon. Launched by ISRO in July 2023, the mission's Vikram lander successfully landed near the lunar south polar region on 23 August 2023, making India the first country to land a spacecraft in the region and the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon. Published by [Whitepill](https://www.whitepill.in/about) on 7 August 2026 ## People involved [S. SomanathChairman, ISRO](https://www.google.com/search?q=S.+Somanath) [K. SivanFormer Chairman, ISRO](https://www.google.com/search?q=K.+Sivan) [P. VeeramuthuvelProject Director, Chandrayaan-3](https://www.google.com/search?q=P.+Veeramuthuvel) [S. Unnikrishnan NairDirector, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre](https://www.google.com/search?q=S.+Unnikrishnan+Nair) ## Timeline 22 July 2019 #### Chandrayaan-2 launched ISRO launched Chandrayaan-2, India's second lunar mission, carrying an orbiter, lander and rover. The orbiter continued providing valuable scientific data after the lander's unsuccessful landing attempt. 7 September 2019 #### Chandrayaan-2 lander loses communication during landing The Vikram lander lost communication during its attempted lunar landing. The experience provided important technical lessons that contributed to the design and preparation of Chandrayaan-3. 1 January 2020 #### Chandrayaan-3 mission approved Following the Chandrayaan-2 landing attempt, ISRO moved forward with a follow-up lunar mission designed specifically to demonstrate a successful soft landing and rover operations. 1 January 2022 #### Chandrayaan-3 development progresses ISRO continued testing and developing the lander, rover and propulsion systems while incorporating lessons learned from Chandrayaan-2. 14 July 2023 #### Chandrayaan-3 launched ISRO successfully launched Chandrayaan-3 aboard the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. 15 July 2023 #### First Earth-bound manoeuvre completed The spacecraft successfully performed its first orbit-raising manoeuvre after launch as it began its journey toward the Moon. 5 August 2023 #### Chandrayaan-3 enters lunar orbit The spacecraft successfully entered lunar orbit after completing its trans-lunar journey. 17 August 2023 #### Lander module separates from propulsion module The Vikram lander successfully separated from the propulsion module in preparation for the final stages of the lunar landing sequence. 23 August 2023 #### Vikram lander successfully lands on the Moon The Vikram lander successfully completed a controlled soft landing on the lunar surface, making India the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon and the first to land near the lunar south polar region. 24 August 2023 #### Pragyan rover begins lunar exploration The Pragyan rover rolled down from the Vikram lander and began conducting scientific experiments on the lunar surface. 27 August 2023 #### Rover confirms presence of sulphur The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer aboard the Pragyan rover confirmed the presence of sulphur in the lunar south polar region along with other elements. 30 August 2023 #### Pragyan rover completes initial exploration The rover continued its planned scientific measurements and exploration of the lunar surface while operating within the available lunar daylight period. 2 September 2023 #### Pragyan rover placed into sleep mode After completing its primary mission objectives, the Pragyan rover was placed into sleep mode with the expectation that it could potentially reactivate after the lunar night. 3 September 2023 #### Vikram lander placed into sleep mode The Vikram lander was placed into sleep mode after completing its primary mission objectives and conducting additional experiments. 22 September 2023 #### Vikram lander successfully reawakened The Vikram lander successfully re-established communication after surviving the lunar night, extending the mission beyond its original objectives. 23 September 2023 #### Pragyan rover reawakening attempt begins ISRO attempted to establish communication with the Pragyan rover after the lunar night as part of an effort to extend its operations. 30 September 2023 #### Chandrayaan-3 mission concludes The Chandrayaan-3 mission completed its primary objectives and demonstrated India's capability to perform a soft lunar landing, rover operations and scientific measurements on the Moon. 1 October 2023 #### Chandrayaan-3 becomes a landmark Indian space achievement The mission was widely recognised as a major milestone for India's space programme and strengthened India's position in lunar exploration and space technology. ## Resources - [newsisro.gov.in](https://www.isro.gov.in/Chandrayaan3_Details.html) - [newsisro.gov.in](https://www.isro.gov.in/LIBSResults.html) - [newsisro.gov.in](https://www.isro.gov.in/Chandrayaan3.html) - [newsisro.gov.in](https://www.isro.gov.in/APXS.html) - [newsisro.gov.in](https://www.isro.gov.in/Ch3_Lunar_Orbit_Insertion_Press_Release.html)