New Delhi: On August 16th, after a vital firing operation, Chadrayaan-3 came closer and entered a 153 km x 163 km orbit around the Moon. Now that the spacecraft has completed its manoeuvres in preparation for a lunar landing, it can focus on its destination.
The 8.30 a.m. manoeuvre was controlled by ISRO in Bengaluru through the organization’s Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network (ISTRAC).
ISRO has announced that the next most important operation will take place on August 17, following the completion of the fifth orbit-reducing 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 gear up for their separate journeys.
Separation of the Lander Module from the Propulsion Module is planned for August 17, 2023.,” ISRO said on its official Twitter handle.
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
A rover, a lander module (LM), and a propulsion module (PM) make up the Chandrayaan-3. While in orbit, the PM will break apart from the lander.
After that, on August 23rd, the spacecraft will perform a series of sophisticated braking operations to allow for a gentle landing in the South Polar zone of the Moon. At 5:47 p.m., the lander is scheduled to make a soft landing on the moon.
With this effort, India will join the ranks of the United States, Russia, and China as the only other countries in the world to reach this historic benchmark.
On July 14th, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, successfully launched the mission. On August 1st, the vital trans-lunar injection (TLI) was performed, hurling Chandrayaan-3 towards the direction of the moon.
On August 5, Chandrayaan-3 successfully entered lunar orbit after a long journey. Five orbit reduction manoeuvres have been performed since then to bring Chandrayaan-3 into orbit around the lunar poles.
