Chandrayaan-3 gets closer to Moon, all eyes on August 23 landing
The spacecraft entered lunar orbit on August 5, marking a significant milestone in the mission. Isro has since been reducing its orbit around the Moon ahead of the planned landing.
In Short
- The spacecraft entered the lunar orbit on August 5
- It was a significant milestone in the mission
- Isro has scheduled the next operation for August 14
Chandrayaan-3 has successfully completed another crucial operation, bringing it even closer to the moon's surface. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) announced that the spacecraft's orbit was reduced to 174 km x 1437 km following a maneuver performed on Wednesday.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission, which was launched on July 14, 2023, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota has been making steady progress towards its goal of landing on the moon.
The spacecraft entered lunar orbit on August 5, 2023, marking a significant milestone in the mission.
The latest operation involved a retro-burning at the Perilune, the spacecraft's closest point to the moon. This maneuver was carried out by the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at Isro and resulted in the successful reduction of the spacecraft's orbit.
Isro has scheduled the next operation for August 14, 2023, between 11:30 and 12:30 Hrs IST. This operation will further reduce the orbit, bringing the spacecraft even closer to the moon's surface.
Chandrayaan-3's journey has been marked by a series of successful operations. After its launch, the spacecraft underwent several orbit-raising maneuvers before being inserted into the translunar orbit.
Upon reaching the moon's orbit, the spacecraft has been gradually lowering its orbit through a series of planned operations.
The mission's ultimate goal is to land on the moon's southern polar region on August 23 at 5:47 pm IST. If successful, India will become the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the moon, following the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission is not just a testament to India's growing prowess in space exploration but also a significant step towards understanding the moon better. The mission's rover will conduct various experiments on the lunar surface, contributing valuable data to global lunar science.
With the mission's health reported as normal, Isro is optimistic about the upcoming operations and the eventual soft landing on the moon.
