New Delhi: Today (August 17) is an important moment in India’s third lunar mission, as the Lander Module (LM) – Vikram of the Chandrayaan-3 is scheduled to separate from the Propulsion Module (PM).
Since entering orbit on August 5, after its launch from Sriharikota’s Satish Dhawan Space Center on July 14, 2023, Chandrayaan-3 has been performing a series of manoeuvres designed to lower its orbit and position it for a landing in the lunar south polar zone.
The last manoeuvre that brought Chandrayaan-3 closer to the lunar surface has been accomplished yesterday. ISRO said on Wednesday that the spacecraft had successfully completed its fifth and final orbit reduction manoeuvre.
With this, ISRO has announced that Chandrayaan-3 has successfully reached the Moon and is currently preparing to separate its propulsion module and lander module. After detaching from the vehicle, the lander will continue the journey independently to the landing site on the moon’s surface.
ISRO said on Twitter that the anticipated separation of the Chandrayaan-3 lander module Vikram and the propulsion module will take place on August 17. The effort to gently land Chandrayaan-3 on one of the Moon’s poles is making headway. On August 23, Chandrayaan-3 will attempt a gentle landing in the south-polar zone of the Moon.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
Today’s successful firing, needed for a short duration, has put Chandrayaan-3 into an orbit of 153 km x 163 km, as intended.
With this, the lunar bound maneuvres are completed.
It’s time for preparations as the Propulsion Module and the Lander Module… pic.twitter.com/0Iwi8GrgVR
— ISRO (@isro) August 16, 2023
About the Lander – Vikram
The lander for the Chandrayaan-3 project has been given the name Vikram in honour of the Indian scientist and pioneer in the study of cosmic rays, Vikram Sarabhai (1919-1971). The Chandrayaan-2 lunar lander, which crashed on the lunar surface in 2019, has the same name.
Sarabhai was the head of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
