Chandrayaan 3 – Who did what for the mission?

ISRO Centres
UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bangalore: Coordinated and executed Chandrayaan-3 mission.

ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRACK), Bangalore: Coordinated and controlled final descent and movements of the lander and rover.

ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) Thiruvananthapuram: Designed and manufactured the key laser Inertial Referencing & Accelerometer Package (LIRAP), the navigation software which helped the lander descent to moon on its own and take decisions without human interventions in the final lap.

Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) Thiruvananthapuram: Designed and developed propulsion system fuels and navigation module for the rocket LVM-3.

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram: Designed and developed the rocket LVM-3.

ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri: Stage tested the liquid and cryogenic engine fuels.

Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad & Space Physics Laboratory (SPL), Thiruvananthapuram: Designed and developed payloads or scientific study equipment in the mission.

Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota: Fuel testing and rocket launch.

PSUs
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL): Mainly supplied different mechanical hardware for the mission.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL): Supplied titanium tanks and some batteries for the mission.

Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited: Supplied the key titanium, cobalt and nickel base alloys and special steels.

Private Companies
L&T: Rocket critical booster segments and casings of rocket, ground and flight umbilical plates and Precision Monopulse Tracking Radar (PMTR).

Tata Elxsi and Tata Advanced Systems: Critical software and hardware for different components of the mission.

Godrej Aerospace: Key engines, parts and thrusters.

Ankit Aerospace: Supplied key parts like titanium bolts and special steel.

Walchandnagar Industries: Hardware for the launch vehicle's booster.

MTAR Technologies: Various critical components.

While Chandrayaan-3's rover is making India's imprint on the moon, it is also a day of glory not only for the 1,000-odd Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) engineers and scientists behind the mission who toiled for over four years, but also for the 400-odd big and small public and private companies and space start-ups in India who supplied vital parts for the whole mission, say sources.

The ₹625-crore Chandrayaan-3, one of the lowest cost space missions in the world, was a concerted effort of various ISRO facilities, co-ordinated by the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bangalore. The final stages of the mission were mainly co-ordinated and controlled by the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRACK) at Peenya in Bangalore. Starting from the rocket, the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) in Thiruvananthapuram designed all liquid propulsion stages for the heavy lift rocket LVM-3, until it reached 10 metres above the moon. Its Cryogenic engine C-25 and liquid engine L110 with titanium alloy propellent tanks were designed by this centre. The Laser Inertial Referencing & Accelerometer Package (LIRAP), developed and designed by the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) in Thiruvananthapuram, helped the lander descent to moon and take decisions without human interventions in the final lap. LIRAP was made with a set of sensors and high definition cameras and the LIRAP project was headed by the IISU Centre director ES Padmakumar.

The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) also played a key role. Current ISRO Chairman K Somnath headed designing the rocket LVM-3 for the current mission and the GSLV Mark-3 for Chandrayan-1 at VSSC. The Centre controlled and developed the rocket and its automatic launch sequence software. The ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu stage tested the liquid and cryogenic engine fuels. The solid fuel motor of the rocket was designed by the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, from where the rocket went to the moon. The Public sector Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited supplied the key titanium, cobalt and nickel base alloys and special steels for the mission. The mechanical hardware was mainly provided by the PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the Titanium Tanks and some batteries were made by the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).

Bangalore-based Ankit Aerospace specialised in the production of complex machine parts, fluid fittings and small assemblies also supplied a few key parts like titanium bolts and special steel. Hardware for the launch vehicle's booster was supplied by Walchandnagar Industries and defence and aerospace specialist MTAR Technologies was also associated in making of the rocket.

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) supplied critical booster segments of the rocket like the head end segment, middle segment and nozzle bucket flange, with a diameter of 3.2 meter. This was manufactured and proof pressure tested at L&T's facility in Powai. L&T also supplied ground and flight umbilical plates manufactured from its L&T Hi-tech Aerospace Manufacturing Centre at Coimbatore. L&T made Precision Monopulse Tracking Radar (PMTR) are also being used in rocket launches from SHAR, Sriharikota. The sensors and controls for soft-landing the lander like a feather was designed by the IISU, Thiruvananthapuram.

Godrej Aerospace supplied key engines and thrusters. Various scientific study equipment for the mission were designed by the Space Application Centre in Ahmedabad. The Space Physics Laboratory (SPL) in Thiruvananthapuram designed a couple of study equipment inside the lander. IT companies like Tata Elxi and Keltron provided technical, hardware and software support. Tata Advanced Systems made parts of the lander and some critical parts in the mission.

Some other prominent suppliers include Anand technologies, Centum Electronics, Paras Defence and Aerospace and Space Technologies.