Unveiling the intricacies of space launch windows: The fascinating science behind mission timings

financialexpress.com:

India’s third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, is scheduled to lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 14 at 2.35 pm IST.

The launch window is a constraint imposed by nature and technology that must be accounted for before launching every space object. An aeroplane departure window is largely optional, but due to heavy air traffic, they also take off at predetermined times on a schedule. Without such limitations, an aeroplane could lift off and land anytime.

Theoretically, the spacecraft-carrying rocket could also accomplish this, but limited fuel reserves prevent it. This is the same reason why returning to Earth is so difficult. “We can only fly on a carefully calculated trajectory if we can coordinate the positions of planets or the Moon with Earth at this time. Any deviation necessitates excessive fuel reserves, which cannot be refilled in space like bonus points in a video game. Keep in mind that everything in the cosmos is always moving. According to this line of reasoning, both the starting point and the final destination are in constant motion,” experts explain to Financial Express Online.

Because of this, trips to Mars only happen every two years, when the planet’s position at the end of the probe’s or other spacecraft’s journey is best for achieving the mission goals. For missions outside of the Solar System, the gravitational effects of other planets on the planned flight path can make flight paths much more difficult. During Voyager missions in the Solar System, for example, the acceleration caused by Venus’s gravity was taken into account, and Jupiter had a similar effect on the New Horizons probe. “This is because fuel is hard to come by in space, and the engines that run on it