Chandrayaan-3 landing: When, where to watch India's historic mission to the moon

India's space mission to the moon has caught the attention of the whole world. The stakes are high for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as Chandrayaan-3 is the country's third lunar mission. And all eyes are on the impending descent of the Vikram lander. 

The ISRO has been very successful in ensuring the safety and health of the spacecraft since its launch in July. India's most ambitious space exploration mission was launched 40 days ago at Sathish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. And the success of this mission hinges on the last 20 minutes as the ISRO will attempt to softly land the mission onto lunar terrain. 

ALSO READ: Did Prakash Raj insult Chandrayaan-3 mission? The actor disagrees, claims it was a nod to 'Kerala Chaiwala'

"A series of manoeuvres have been planned to gradually reduce Chandrayaan-3's orbit and position it over the lunar poles. After some manoeuvres, the propulsion module will separate from the lander while in orbit. Following that, a series of complex braking manoeuvres will be executed to facilitate a soft landing in the South Polar region of the Moon on August 23, 2023," ISRO had said earlier in a press release. 

The mission's success pivots on achieving a "soft-landing." The ISRO must ensure that they reduce the speed of the lander and slowly guide it through luar space to ensure the spacecraft doesn't suffer damages upon landing. 

It's noteworthy that India's Chandrayaan-2 mission failed in September 2019 during the last 20 minutes. And the ISRO is said to have taken all the necessary measures to ensure the mission's success. If successful, India will hold the distinction of being the sole country to achieve a landing at the Moon's South Pole. And this mission is important to address many open questions on lunar science.

ALSO READ: Chandrayaan-3 celebrity greetings: Amitabh Bachchan, R Madhavan, and others exude confidence in the success of this mission

The landing is expected to take place on August 23 at 6:04 PM. You can watch the Chandrayaan-3 landing live on ISRO's YouTube channel. Meanwhile, Disney Plus Hotstar has also partnered with National Geographic to provide a live stream of this historic landing event.