An Odyssey Of Chandrayaan And Artificial Intelligence: How AI Helped India To Triumph In Her Moon Mission

Introduction

It’s a historical achievement not for just India’s space programme, but for the entire humanity’s aspiration to explore the cosmos, Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the lunar south pole.  The Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO) Sent Chandrayaan 3 on 14 July 2023, from Shriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. After the US, Russia, and China, India is now only the fourth country to have achieved this landmark. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson Congratulated ISRO by tweeting “Congratulations to India on being the 4th country to successfully soft land a spacecraft on the moon.”  

This is a joint success of human intelligence and Artificial intelligence:

AI played a significant role in the success of Chandrayaan-3. Let’s have a look at how artificial intelligence has reshaped the Chandrayaan project roadmap from its inception to its current success.

Chandrayaan Missions: A Brief Recap

Chandrayaan 1 

On October 22, 2008, India’s first mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-1, was successfully launched with the objective to discover lunar minerals and water. After almost a year, the orbiter began encountering technical issues primarily on Star Tracker and Thermal shielding system. Consequently it stopped communicating on August 28, 2009. However, ISRO claimed that the mission achieved 95% of its scientific objective.  With the recent advancement of machine learning based predictive algorithms, those risks can be avoided on the fly. Where the current generation AI assisted smart sensors are capable to robustly track and locate spacecrafts even in different hazardous conditions.

Chandrayaan2

The next Chandrayaan mission which was  Chandrayaan 2 unfortunately failed due to 3 key reasons given by the current ISRO chairman S Somnath to a recent press conference which are “five engines of the lander generating higher thrust, the limitation of the software to detect errors, and the small landing site”. “In a nutshell, we can say the (our) ability to parameter variation or dispersion was very limited” he mentioned.  Probably, if Chandrayaan 2 would have access to the current AI based fault tolerant mechanism then ISRO could make the history 4 years back.

Chandrayaan 3, the historic lunar milestone and how AI made it possible

Chandrayaan3

It is the third Indian Lunar Exploration mission under ISRO exemplifies India’s commitment to space advancement. With the incorporation of AI technology, Chandrayaan-3 is poised to gather and analyze vast amounts of lunar data more efficiently, showcasing the indisputable benefit of artificial intelligence in modern space exploration.

How AI played a significant role in Chandrayaan 3 mission?

Chandrayaan 3 

Artificial Intelligence of the flight control system of Chandrayaan 3 was continuously accurately forecasting  the dispersion/ delta between the on-the-fly state  of the spacecraft during the real flight and the so called, expected state presumed by the scientists during the flight simulation. This continious forecast gave the control system of the spacecraft an ample time to get adapted to the dispersion.  AI algorithms along with the high quality of smart sensors enabled  Chandrayaan 3 to do  real-time analysis of the lunar surface, allowed the spacecraft to adjust course and ensured an accurate landing even if any unexpected obstacles appeared in the landscape. AI can enhance communication between Earth and spacecraft, possibly used by ISRO scientists in Chandrayaan mission, by predicting and compensating for signal disruptions and delays. 

Conclusion

In this remarkable journey of Chandrayaan missions, India’s pursuit of exploring the moon has stood as a testament to human ingenuity and the power of artificial intelligence. From Chandrayaan-1’s initial strides to Chandrayaan-3’s triumphant lunar touch, AI has transformed possibilities. By predicting and adapting, AI has bolstered spacecraft control, enabling real-time analysis and precise landings. This fusion of AI and human intellect has propelled India into the league of lunar achievers. With AI’s aid, Chandrayaan’s saga illuminates our capacity to conquer cosmic frontiers, paving the way for further celestial exploration.