On August 23, 2023, an Indian probe landed near the south pole of the Moon, marking a world first in this largely unexplored region. Chandrayaan-III, which was developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), includes a lander module named Vikram (“valour” in Sanskrit) and a rover named Pragyan (“wisdom”). This robotic exploration vehicle will traverse the surface of the Moon for one lunar day, or 14 Earth days. The roughly 3.9-tonne probe will collect scientific data on the Moon’s seismic activity, mineralogical composition, and thermal properties. In its most recent newsletter, the French company Safran describes its involvement in India’s Moon project.
Both Captronic Systems and Safran Data Systems, which are companies of the Space business of Safran Electronics & Defence, made significant contributions to the success of this remarkable operation.
The LVM-3 launcher was entrusted with sending Chandrayaan-III to the Moon, and Safran Data Systems recently bought an Indian business called Captronic Systems. Captronic Systems supplied a broad array of specialised verification and testing equipment for the LVM-3 launcher. These systems were developed so that the control electronics and actuators of the solid, liquid, and cryogenic propellant stages could be tested and evaluated. In addition, the Indian probe was supplied with verification systems that were utilised for sensor simulation, Testing and evaluating the continuity of interface connectors.
Safran Data Systems integrated Cortex CRT modems into the ground-based ISRO Deep Space Network, operated by the Indian space agency, to guarantee that communication between Earth and the space mission was error-free. These units are in charge of receiving, demodulating, and decoding data in real time, which ensures that data can be reliably transmitted between the probe and the control centre.
Safran, as a supplier to the Indian Space Research Organization’s manned space flight programme, has delivered more than 90 Cortex CRT Command and Control (C2) modems for equipment intended for Testing and integration of communication equipment installed on board the capsule and all telemetry receiving stations used for manned flights.
