On Sunday, February 19th , the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that it had successfully conducted the EMI-EMC (Electro-Magnetic Interference/Electro-Magnetic Compatibility) test for the lander of Chandrayaan-3 for its upcoming third Moon mission. The test was performed at the U R Rao Satellite Centre in the Indian city of Bengaluru from January 31 to February 2, according to a statement released by the national space agency.
Why the test was important?
According to ISRO, Chandrayaan 3, an interplanetary mission with three major modules (the Propulsion module, Lander module, and Rover), requires establishing radio-frequency (RF) communication links between the modules due to the mission’s complexity.
ISRO further stated that the EMI-EMC test is done to ensure the functionality of satellite subsystems in space and their compatibility with expected electromagnetic levels, is conducted prior to every satellite missions. “This test is a major milestone in the realization of the satellites,” said ISRO, highlighting the importance of the test.
The statement released by ISRO revealed that the EMI/EMC test conducted on the Chandrayaan-3 lander included; ensuring launcher compatibility, antenna polarization of all RF systems, standalone auto compatibility tests for orbital and powered descent mission phases, and lander and rover compatibility tests for the post-landing mission phase. According to the statement, it was confirmed that the performance of the lander’s system was satisfactory.
About Chandrayaan 3
As per its previous announcement, the Indian space agency stated that the Chandrayaan-3 mission will follow Chandrayaan-2 and demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. The mission will consist of a lander and rover configuration and will be launched by GSLV MkIII from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, an island off the Bay of Bengal coast also known as the SpacePort of India.
The propulsion module will transport the lander and rover configuration to 100 km of the Moon’s orbit and will also use the Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the spectral and polarimetric measurements of Earth. However, the final launch date of the mission has not been announced yet, but it is expected to take place in the second or third quarter of this year.