Vikram Lander — Interactive LMS Simulator
Explore Chandrayaan-3 Vikram architecture, payloads, powered descent, soft landing and Pragyan rover deployment.
ISRO · LUNAR LANDING LAB
Aim & Learning Outcomes
Aim: Understand the architecture, propulsion, navigation, scientific payloads and autonomous soft-landing sequence of Chandrayaan-3 Vikram.
Learning outcomes
- Identify Vikram's major structural and functional elements.
- Explain powered descent, navigation and hazard detection.
- Describe rough braking, fine braking, hover and terminal descent.
- Identify ChaSTE, ILSA, RAMBHA-LP and LRA.
- Explain Pragyan rover deployment after touchdown.
Mission context
Vikram was the Chandrayaan-3 lander. The mission achieved a successful lunar soft landing on 23 August 2023 and deployed the Pragyan rover.
Core idea
Soft landing requires controlled velocity reduction, autonomous navigation, attitude control, terrain assessment and a stable terminal descent.
Vikram Theory & Architecture
Powered-descent sequence
Rough braking: reduce horizontal velocity while descending.
Attitude hold: reorient and stabilize the lander.
Fine braking: progressively reduce velocity near the landing region.
Hover / hazard assessment: evaluate terrain for safe touchdown.
Terminal descent: controlled near-vertical descent to landing-leg contact.
Major systems & payloads
Landing legsFour legs provide touchdown stability.
Throttleable enginesControl descent velocity and trajectory.
Navigation sensorsSupport autonomous guidance and altitude/state estimation.
Hazard detectionSupports safe-site assessment.
RampDeployment path for Pragyan.
ChaSTEStudies near-surface thermal properties.
ILSAStudies local lunar seismic activity.
RAMBHA-LPInvestigates near-surface plasma.
LRAPassive laser retroreflector array.
PragyanMobile lunar rover deployed by Vikram.