Chandrayaan-3 enters Moon's orbit, one step closer to making cosmic history

By India Today Science Desk: India's third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, has successfully entered the Moon's orbit, marking a significant milestone as India aims a lunar landing in the coming days.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) confirmed that the Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI) was performed around 7 pm IST, placing the spacecraft into a stable lunar orbit.

FOLLOW CHANDRAYAAN-3 LIVE UPDATES HERE

Launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on July 14, 2023, aboard the LVM-3 rocket, Chandrayaan-3 has covered over three lakh kilometers in space between Earth and the Moon. The spacecraft had completed its orbits around the Earth on August 1 and began its trans-lunar journey towards the Moon.

The LOI maneuver was executed by Isro's Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.

This crucial operation reduced the spacecraft's velocity, allowing the Moon's gravitational field to capture it into a stable lunar orbit. The spacecraft is now expected to revolve around the Moon in an elliptical orbit, with a series of maneuvers planned to gradually decrease its altitude in the days that follow.

Chandrayaan-3's successful entry into the Moon's orbit brings India one step closer to becoming the fourth country after the US, China, and Russia, to land a spacecraft on the lunar surface.

The mission aims to demonstrate India's capability for a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, following the challenges faced during the Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019.

The next phase of the mission will see the propulsion module separate from the lander, which will continue its journey towards the lunar south pole. The soft landing on the lunar surface is scheduled for August 23.

Chandrayaan-3 is equipped with a lander, a rover, and a propulsion module, weighing around 3,900 kilograms.

The scientific instruments onboard will study the Moon’s surface, measure the near-surface plasma density, thermal properties of the lunar surface near the polar region, seismicity around the landing site, and the elemental composition of the Moon's soil.

The successful lunar orbit insertion of Chandrayaan-3 marks a significant achievement for Isro and the entire nation. As the spacecraft begins its journey around the Moon, the world eagerly awaits the outcomes of this ambitious mission.