Video Explainer: Is Chandrayaan-3 wrapped in Gold?
When a satellite is prepared to launch into space, many people wonder if it is covered with gold after viewing photos of the spacecraft. Is it really gold-plated, though? If not, what is it? Let's check.
Is Chandrayaan 3 encrusted with gold? Do not be confused by the dazzling appearance and colour; it is neither gold nor silver. It is not an ordinary material either. This is multilayer insulation, also referred to as MLI. On top of aluminium are layers of polyimide. These layers are put together to create MLI. To make it simple, it serves as a blanket to keep satellites safe in the void of space.
Heat and cold are not how they are on Earth when there is no atmosphere or air in space. The satellite's onboard instruments heat up quickly when the sun shines directly on them. Without sunlight, it will quickly get cold; whether it gets hotter or colder, the satellite's onboard equipment will experience problems.
Although the instruments are somewhat resistant to it, the spacecraft cannot last for very long without MLI. Let's reiterate that the spacecraft has gold-using technologies inside, but that the wrapping material is not gold.
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