New Delhi
India’s Chandrayaan-3 moon mission is making steady progress, having successfully completed its fourth orbit-raising manoeuvre on July 20. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has confirmed that the spacecraft is now in a 71351 km * 233 km orbit around Earth.
The third lunar mission, launched on July 14 from Sriharikota, aims to demonstrate India’s ability to soft-land and operate a robotic rover on the lunar surface. The spacecraft was placed into an elliptic orbit of 36,500 km * 170 km by the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3) for a perfect lift-off with all its stages performing nominally.
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Since its launch, the mission has been progressing through all its orbit-raising manoeuvres smoothly. The first manoeuvre took place on July 15, followed by the second on July 16, the third on July 18, and the fourth on July 20. Each manoeuvre has been designed to gradually increase the spacecraft's speed and position it for lunar insertion.
Union Minister shares update on Chandrayaan-3 launch
Science and Technology Minister, Jitendra Singh, shared a major update while talking to ANI, stating that Chandrayaan-3 had successfully completed the fourth orbit raising manoeuvre on Thursday. He added that the spacecraft is one step closer to the moon.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
The spacecraft has attained a 51400 km x 228 km orbit, as planned.
— ISRO (@isro) July 18, 2023
ISRO Chairman S. Somnath earlier said that earth-bound manoeuvres would be conducted till July 31 and around August 1, it will enter the lunar orbit.
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"After escaping the Earth's orbit, it will move into the Moon's orbital path (after being pulled by its gravity)…it will gradually descend towards its surface…after reaching the orbit by the approximately first week of August…then it will scan the environment to assess that which part of the south pole of the lunar surface is suitable for landing…and it will then land on August 23," Somnath said.
What’s next for Chandrayaan-3?
The Chandrayaan-3 mission is expected to reach the moon around August 23 or 24, following a longer route using Earth’s gravity to enhance its velocity. The mission’s Lander is expected to soft-land on the Moon’s South Pole region, a less explored location that could potentially yield valuable scientific data.
If successful, India will join the former Soviet Union, the United States, and China as the fourth nation in the world to perform a soft landing on the moon.
(With inputs from agencies)
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