Ambitious Soft Landing by Chandrayan 3: Stocks That Have Rallied

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the Chandrayan 3 mission following its unsuccessful attempt of landing by Chandrayan 2 on September 7th, 2019. The mission’s primary goal is to demonstrate the space agency’s ability to land on the Moon’s south pole gently. India will become a member of a select group of nations that have accomplished a soft landing on the Moon if the mission is successful. The Soviet Union, China, and the United States are the club’s only current members.

India’s ambitious Chandrayaan-3 Moon mission completed its vital last phase to touchdown on the moon at roughly 6:04 PM on August 23rd, 2019. The Chandrayaan-3 lander is roughly the size of an SUV, standing around 2 meters tall and weighing slightly over 1,700 kg (3,747.86 lb). It is intended to launch a 26-kg lunar rover that is smaller.

Since the time of launch, it transitioned to a lunar orbit after looping through successively wider-ranging Earth orbits.

Why is ISRO Landing Chandrayan 3 on the South Pole? 

India will likely create history by becoming the first country to soft land on the Moon’s south pole. Scientists and space agencies have long been interested in the moon’s south pole because the shadowed craters are thought to contain higher concentrations of water ice than anywhere else on the lunar surface, making it crucial for establishing permanent human settlements there.

The South Pole is full of craters and deep pits and lies far from the equatorial region that was the objective of earlier missions, including the crewed Apollo landings.

Failure of Russia’s Luna 25

Russian space agency Roscosmos launched its Luna 25 spacecraft on August 11th, 2023, using a Soyuz 2 rocket. In Luna 25, a lander was used to research the visual, physical, and chemical characteristics of moondust, moon soil, and the atmosphere. The lander’s task was to soft-land close to the lunar’s south pole.

Unfortunately, a fault on August 19th, 2023, caused Luna 25 to crash on the moon’s surface, ending the mission in failure. Since the Soviet Union’s Luna-24 mission brought back moon samples in 1976, Luna-25 was Russia’s first moon mission.

Process After Successful Landing

The entire process will take around 30 minutes, during which time it will be chosen whether to land at the first conspicuous location or to select a different location for landing depending on hazard detection. Once the Vikram has touched down, it will open a ramp so Pragyan can launch and investigate the surface investigations. The Indian space agency has equipped Pragyan and Vikram with equipment. 

A successful mission would establish India as a space power soon before the country’s elections next year and make it only the fourth nation to successfully land on the moon, following the former USSR, the United States, and China.

Impact on the Indian Stock Market

Before India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft made a soft landing on the moon, Dalal Street started its party, sending shares of aerospace companies into the clouds. This mission is likely to significantly impact the companies that contributed to this mission and the Indian stock market as a whole.

The stock prices of Larsen and Toubro (L&T),  Hindustan Aeronautics,  Bharat Heavy Electricals, Paras Defence and Space Technologies, Walchandnagar Industries, Centum Electronics, and MTAR Technologies have witnessed ample movement as these have contributed in a significant manner to the Chandrayan 3 mission.

The launch of the Mars probes successfully on the first attempt and the transporting of hundreds of foreign satellites into orbit has earned the Indian space industry recognition for producing satellites at a reasonable cost. India currently makes up 2% to 3% of the global space economy, but by 2030, it is anticipated to increase to more than 10%. By 2025, it is anticipated that the sector will be worth USD 13 billion, and by 2030, India hopes to have a higher market share close to 10% of the world economy.

There is a greater need for space-based services due to recent advancements in satellite communication and other application areas, such as geospatial data-based services. As a result, there is a need for more players to enter the upstream and downstream sectors of the space industry to offer commercial offerings.

Disclaimer: This blog has been written exclusively for educational purposes. The securities mentioned are only examples and not recommendations. It is based on several secondary sources on the internet, and is subject to changes. Please consult an expert before making related decisions.