Chandrayaan-3 nears Moon, covers over 2.5 lakh km distance from Earth

By India Today Science Desk: The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has announced that Chandrayaan-3, India's third lunar mission, has successfully covered two-thirds of its journey to the moon.

As of August 4, the spacecraft has traversed approximately 2.6 lakh kilometers, marking a significant milestone in its lunar expedition.

Isro has scheduled the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) for August 5 around 7:00 pm IST. This critical phase will see the spacecraft entering the moon's sphere of influence and initiating the moon-centric phase of its mission.

The LOI is a crucial maneuver that adjusts the spacecraft's trajectory to achieve lunar orbit. It involves a significant burn, usually performed by a chemical rocket engine, which increases the spacecraft's velocity. This increased velocity changes the spacecraft's orbit from a circular low Earth orbit to a highly eccentric one, precisely targeting the moon as it revolves around the Earth.

Upon successful completion of the LOI, Chandrayaan-3 will be embedded in an orbit around the moon.

The spacecraft will then embark on a series of complex maneuvers to reach the lunar surface. These include the separation of the lander, a set of deboost maneuvers, and finally the descent phase for a soft landing on the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3's mission is not only to reach the moon's orbit but also to make a soft landing on the lunar south pole. If successful, India will become the fourth nation to achieve this feat and the first to land a spacecraft on the moon's south pole.

The spacecraft carries scientific instruments designed to study various aspects of the lunar surface. Upon landing, it will operate for one lunar day, approximately 14 Earth days, deepening our understanding of the moon and paving the way for future lunar missions.