<p>The countdown begins. India’s lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 is all set to land on the moon’s South Pole on August 23 around 6:04 pm IST. The India Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shared the update of the Chandrayaan-3 mission on X (formerly Twitter) and thanked everyone for their wishes and positivity.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“Chandrayaan-3 Mission: Chandrayaan-3 is set to land on the moon on August 23, 2023, around 18:04 Hrs. IST. Thanks for the wishes and positivity! Let’s continue experiencing the journey together,” shared ISRO on X.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chandrayaan-3 Mission:<br />
<br />
🇮🇳Chandrayaan-3 is set to land on the moon 🌖on August 23, 2023, around 18:04 Hrs. IST.<br />
<br />
Thanks for the wishes and positivity!<br />
<br />
Let’s continue experiencing the journey together<br />
as the action unfolds LIVE at:<br />
ISRO Website <a href="https://t.co/osrHMk7MZL">https://t.co/osrHMk7MZL</a><br />
YouTube… <a href="https://t.co/zyu1sdVpoE">pic.twitter.com/zyu1sdVpoE</a></p>
— ISRO (@isro) <a href="https://twitter.com/isro/status/1693181653273940240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>On August 21, ISRO shared the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/chandrayaan-3-mission-isro-shares-images-of-lunar-far-side-region-taken-by-lhdac-627403">first images of the lunar far side </a>area captured by the Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC). The camera assists in locating a safe landing area, without boulders or deep trenches that are generally found on the lunar surface.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Chandrayaan-3 mission is currently in Phase-7, which is the Pre-Landing Phase. Phase-7 began on Monday, with the second and final deboosting operation being successfully carried out on August 20.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chandrayaan-3 Mission:<br />
<br />
The second and final deboosting operation has successfully reduced the LM orbit to 25 km x 134 km.<br />
<br />
The module would undergo internal checks and await the sun-rise at the designated landing site.<br />
<br />
The powered descent is expected to commence on August… <a href="https://t.co/7ygrlW8GQ5">pic.twitter.com/7ygrlW8GQ5</a></p>
— ISRO (@isro) <a href="https://twitter.com/isro/status/1692995757413192015?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<h2><strong>Chandrayaan-3: Soft landing just two days away</strong></h2>

<p>Only two days from now, India’s third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 will attempt to soft land on the moon’s South Pole. This was a follow-up mission to Chandrayaan-2 to achieve a safe landing&nbsp;on the lunar surface. Till now, the mission has completed all its phases successfully. It has now entered its most crucial phase.</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/german-minister-volker-wissing-lauds-indias-seamless-digital-adoption-627428">German minister Volker Wissing lauds India's seamless digital adoption</a></p>

<p>K Rajeev, Director of Space Physics Laboratory, on Sunday, said he is eagerly waiting for the scheduled soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon’s south pole. He is part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.</p>

<p>Speaking to ANI, Rajeev said, “The remaining period is very, very crucial because now we will go for a power&nbsp;descent and then navigation and then again slow descent up to the surface. So that is a very crucial phase."</p>

<p>Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14 at 2:34 pm IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, atop the medium-lift Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) rocket.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/hotel-industry-projected-to-contribute-1-trillion-to-indias-gdp-by-2047-report-627423">Hotel industry projected to contribute $1 trillion to India’s GDP by 2047: Report&nbsp;</a></p>

<p>After a successful landing, the Lander and rover will collect crucial pieces of information from&nbsp;the surface for 14 Earth days (a single day on the moon), while the propulsion module will gaze at our planet for its own science experiment.</p>

<h2><strong>How and where to watch the live landing of Chandrayaan-3?</strong></h2>

<p>Chandryaan-3 will soft-land on the moon on Wednesday, August 23 around 6:04 pm IST. The coverage of the landing is expected to start from 5:27 pm IST when the Lander will decelerate in the lunar orbit.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here’s how you can watch the live streaming of Chandrayaan-3’s landing:</p>

<p>On YouTube:&nbsp;<a dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/92aHKFUvzd" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" role="link" target="_blank">https://youtube.com/watch?v=DLA_64yz8Ss…</a></p>

<p>On Website:&nbsp;<a dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/kL1ncOCjPY" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" role="link" target="_blank">https://isro.gov.in</a></p>

<p>On Facebook:&nbsp;<a dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/Q3K7buUYqg" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" role="link" target="_blank">https://facebook.com/ISRO</a></p>

<p>On TV: <strong>DD National TV</strong> will start the live coverage from 5:27 pm IST</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

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The countdown begins. India’s lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 is all set to land on the moon’s South Pole on August 23 around 6:04 pm IST. The India Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shared the update of the Chandrayaan-3 mission on X (formerly Twitter) and thanked everyone for their wishes and positivity.

The countdown begins. India’s lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 is all set to land on the moon’s South Pole on August 23 around 6:04 pm IST. The India Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shared the update of the Chandrayaan-3 mission on X (formerly Twitter) and thanked everyone for their wishes and positivity. “Chandrayaan-3 Mission: Chandrayaan-3 is set to land on the moon on August 23, 2023, around 18:04 Hrs. IST. Thanks for the wishes and positivity! Let’s continue experiencing the journey together,” shared ISRO on X. Chandrayaan-3 Mission: 🇮🇳Chandrayaan-3 is set to land on the moon 🌖on August 23, 2023, around 18:04 Hrs. IST. Thanks for the wishes and positivity! Let’s continue experiencing the journey together as the action unfolds LIVE at: ISRO Website https://t.co/osrHMk7MZL YouTube… pic.twitter.com/zyu1sdVpoE — ISRO (@isro) August 20, 2023 × On August 21, ISRO shared the first images of the lunar far side area captured by the Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC). The camera assists in locating a safe landing area, without boulders or deep trenches that are generally found on the lunar surface. The Chandrayaan-3 mission is currently in Phase-7, which is the Pre-Landing Phase. Phase-7 began on Monday, with the second and final deboosting operation being successfully carried out on August 20. Chandrayaan-3 Mission: The second and final deboosting operation has successfully reduced the LM orbit to 25 km x 134 km. The module would undergo internal checks and await the sun-rise at the designated landing site. The powered descent is expected to commence on August… pic.twitter.com/7ygrlW8GQ5 — ISRO (@isro) August 19, 2023 × Chandrayaan-3: Soft landing just two days away Only two days from now, India’s third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 will attempt to soft land on the moon’s South Pole. This was a follow-up mission to Chandrayaan-2 to achieve a safe landing on the lunar surface. Till now, the mission has completed all its phases successfully. It has now entered its most crucial phase. Also Read | German minister Volker Wissing lauds India's seamless digital adoption K Rajeev, Director of Space Physics Laboratory, on Sunday, said he is eagerly waiting for the scheduled soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon’s south pole. He is part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Speaking to ANI, Rajeev said, “The remaining period is very, very crucial because now we will go for a power descent and then navigation and then again slow descent up to the surface. So that is a very crucial phase." Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14 at 2:34 pm IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, atop the medium-lift Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) rocket. Also Read | Hotel industry projected to contribute $1 trillion to India’s GDP by 2047: Report After a successful landing, the Lander and rover will collect crucial pieces of information from the surface for 14 Earth days (a single day on the moon), while the propulsion module will gaze at our planet for its own science experiment. How and where to watch the live landing of Chandrayaan-3? Chandryaan-3 will soft-land on the moon on Wednesday, August 23 around 6:04 pm IST. The coverage of the landing is expected to start from 5:27 pm IST when the Lander will decelerate in the lunar orbit. Here’s how you can watch the live streaming of Chandrayaan-3’s landing: On YouTube: https://youtube.com/watch?v=DLA_64yz8Ss… On Website: https://isro.gov.in On Facebook: https://facebook.com/ISRO On TV: DD National TV will start the live coverage from 5:27 pm IST (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Chandrayaan-3: Two days to go! Here's how to livestream Chandrayaan-3's soft landing on moon

India's moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, and Russia's Luna-25 are both set to attempt a soft landing on the lunar south pole in the coming days. The two missions would not interfere with each other as they have different landing areas planned, according to the Russian Space Agency, ROSCOMS.

Chandrayaan-3: Second and final de-boosting of Vikram Lander successful

<p>This week would have been a historic one in Lunar exploration - with two landers (one from Russia and one from India) touching down near the Lunar south pole, within a few days of each other. However, it is not to be as historic as it should have been. Russia's maiden moon lander Luna-25 has crashed on the Lunar surface after suffering a mishap on Saturday, August 19, said the Russian Space agency. In preparation for an expected lunar soft-landing on Monday,&nbsp;August 21, the Russian lander was moving into its final, pre-landing orbit, when the mishap took place.</p>

<p>"On August 19, in accordance with the flight programme of the Luna-25 spacecraft, an impulse was provided for the formation of its pre-landing elliptical orbit. At about 14:57 Moscow time, communication with the Luna-25 spacecraft was interrupted.&nbsp;The measures taken on August 19 and 20 to search for the craft and get into contact with it did not produce any results," said the statement from Russian space agency Roscosmos.</p>

<p>"According to the results of the preliminary analysis, due to the deviation of the actual parameters of the impulse from the calculated ones, the device switched to an off-design orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the lunar surface," the agency said, thereby indicating that all hopes of the maiden Russian Lunar landing are over. (The erstwhile Soviet Union conducted multiple robotic Lunar landing missions, the last of which was in 1976).</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chandrayaan-3-vikram-lander-25-km-above-moon-to-land-at-break-of-lunar-day-on-aug-23-627126">Chandrayaan-3: Vikram lander 25km above moon, to land at break of Lunar Day on Aug 23</a></p>

<h2><b>The journey of Chandrayaan-3 and Luna-25, thus far...</b></h2>

<p>July 14&nbsp;- India launches its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft to soft-land on the moon and all eyes are on the proposed soft-landing date - 23rdAugust.</p>

<p>August 11&nbsp;- Russia launches it Luna-25 spacecraft to soft-land on the moon, which could soft-land on the moon, a couple of days ahead of Chandrayaan-3.</p>

<h2><b>Launch vehicle and time taken to the moon</b></h2>

<p>Launched on&nbsp;July 14, Chandrayaan-3 is taking almost 40 days to soft-land on the moon. Why so? Because, the Indian LVM3 rocket can only impart a certain amount of departure energy to its 3.9 tonne Chandrayaan-3 craft. While this departure energy is sufficient to put it into a parking orbit (170km x 36000km) around the earth, it cannot put the craft directly on a Lunar Transfer trajectory (direct path to rendezvous with the moon in&nbsp;six days). Knowing its limitations fully well, the Indian space agency has gradually slingshot its craft further and further away from the earth (over a span of more than two weeks) and then put it on Lunar transfer trajectory. ISRO is making up for its limitations by using an energy-efficient and frugal method to achieve its objectives.</p>

<p>Luna-25 has been launched on a Soyuz-2 rocket with a Fregat upper stage. The launch on August 11th put the 1.8 tonne&nbsp;craft through a few orbits around the earth and directly on the Lunar Transfer Trajectory, thereby ensuring that it can rendezvous with the moon in around 6 days. The Luna-25 craft weighing just half as much of India's Chandrayaan-3 also gave&nbsp;it the added advantage of being able to reach faster. Think of it as a lighter shotput ball being thrown further and faster. While the Russian rocket is similar in terms of power and capability, when compared to India's LVM3, the lighter mass of Luna-25 makes a difference.</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;Chandrayaan-3: Second and final de-boosting of Vikram Lander successful</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/chandrayaan-3-second-and-final-de-boosting-of-vikram-lander-successful-627145/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<h2><b>Coincidence or competition?</b></h2>

<p>There are hundreds of news reports pitting Chandrayaan-3 and Luna-25 as a reflection of rivalry. Here are the facts - India decided upon Chandrayaan-3, almost immediately after its maiden Lunar soft-landing attempt Chandrayaan-2 failed in September 2019. In the case of Luna-25, it is more of a continuation of the Soviet-era Luna-series of missions, the last of which was Luna-24. It is after decades of delay that Luna-25 has taken flight, so it would outlandish to claim that the Russians are competing with the Indians.</p>

<p>When launching scientific probes and spacecrafts to other planets, celestial bodies, space agencies have to look at an ideal launch date and time. These are based on precise calculations and not based on the intention to compete with another agency. If you think it's like a James Bond chase sequence in space, it is far from that!</p>

<p>Orbital Mechanics is the science that determines when to launch spacecrafts, the path they must take, the energy efficient route it must follow, the gravitational influence of earth and other celestial bodies, the specific date when the craft must reach its destination etc. Therefore, space agencies plan a certain launch window, within which they must carry out a mission. For a mission to each celestial body, there is an ideal window - weeks or months-long, during which it is possible to carry out a mission in an energy-efficient manner (based on the position of the earth, other celestial bodies etc.). Therefore, when the time is ideal, whoever is ready with a mission will launch - sooner or later (depending on their rocket and mission specifications and preferred landing time).</p>

<h2><b>The landing date - Which one was&nbsp;to&nbsp;reach earlier ?</b></h2>

<p>For the Indian Space agency ISRO, Chandrayaan-3 must land on August 23. Why? Because, Chandrayaan-3 is meant to be operational for one Lunar day (two weeks on earth) and the Lunar day commences on August 23rd. Landing on the Lunar day will help Chandrayaan-3 harness the sunlight, use it to charge its batteries and thereby operate all the scientific payloads on-board the craft (for at least the planned duration). Solar-power is crucial for Chandrayaan-3's lander and rover, as that is its lone power source. This is why ISRO determined its launch date well in advance and made it public.</p>

<p>Luna-25 did not depend completely on Solar power. Though it weighed less, Luna-25 used&nbsp;a radioactive isotope, a sort of nuclear battery, that helped&nbsp;it stay powered for at least one earth year. Therefore, it was theoretically possible for Luna-25 to land ahead of Chandrayaan-3. While the Russian Space agency Roscosmos did not announce the exact landing date, it was widely expected to land on August 21, two days prior to Chandrayaan-3.</p>

<p>While many claimed that it was a space rivalry or competition between India and Russia, the prospective landing dates being so close to each other, is a mere&nbsp;coincidence.</p>

<h2><b>What this means for the Russian space programme?</b></h2>

<p>The crash-landing and loss of Luna-25 would certainly be a jolt to the Russian space programme, amid the ongoing geopolitical crises that stemmed from the Ukraine-Russia war. Without doubt, Russia can bounce back and learn from their mistakes and re-attempt this mission. But it would cause significant delay. Notably, Luna-25 itself was delayed by several decades and there are even reports of successor missions in the Luna series.</p>

<p>The setback caused by Luna-25 would warrant a closer look and many modifications to future Russian Lunar missions. It is notable that standalone Russian space-exploratory missions have not had a great track record, in recent decades.</p>

<h2><b>High hopes on Chandrayaan-3</b></h2>

<p>With its Russian co-traveller gone, Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander will be attempting its scheduled Lunar soft-landing. The Indian Space agency ISRO has announced that Vikram lander is expected to perform its soft-landing at 6:04 pm IST, August 23. Leaders from within ISRO are confident that 'Vikram' will perform a feather-like soft-landing. It would be a fitting tribute to the fallen Chandrayaan-2 and Luna-25(both of which crash-landed in 2019 and 2023, respectively), when ISRO does so on Wednesday.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE:</strong></p>

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This week would have been a historic one in Lunar exploration - with two landers (one from Russia and one from India) touching down near the Lunar south pole, within a few days of each other.

This week would have been a historic one in Lunar exploration - with two landers (one from Russia and one from India) touching down near the Lunar south pole, within a few days of each other. However, it is not to be as historic as it should have been. Russia's maiden moon lander Luna-25 has crashed on the Lunar surface after suffering a mishap on Saturday, August 19, said the Russian Space agency. In preparation for an expected lunar soft-landing on Monday, August 21, the Russian lander was moving into its final, pre-landing orbit, when the mishap took place. "On August 19, in accordance with the flight programme of the Luna-25 spacecraft, an impulse was provided for the formation of its pre-landing elliptical orbit. At about 14:57 Moscow time, communication with the Luna-25 spacecraft was interrupted. The measures taken on August 19 and 20 to search for the craft and get into contact with it did not produce any results," said the statement from Russian space agency Roscosmos. "According to the results of the preliminary analysis, due to the deviation of the actual parameters of the impulse from the calculated ones, the device switched to an off-design orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the lunar surface," the agency said, thereby indicating that all hopes of the maiden Russian Lunar landing are over. (The erstwhile Soviet Union conducted multiple robotic Lunar landing missions, the last of which was in 1976). Also read | Chandrayaan-3: Vikram lander 25km above moon, to land at break of Lunar Day on Aug 23 The journey of Chandrayaan-3 and Luna-25, thus far... July 14 - India launches its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft to soft-land on the moon and all eyes are on the proposed soft-landing date - 23rdAugust. August 11 - Russia launches it Luna-25 spacecraft to soft-land on the moon, which could soft-land on the moon, a couple of days ahead of Chandrayaan-3. Launch vehicle and time taken to the moon Launched on July 14, Chandrayaan-3 is taking almost 40 days to soft-land on the moon. Why so? Because, the Indian LVM3 rocket can only impart a certain amount of departure energy to its 3.9 tonne Chandrayaan-3 craft. While this departure energy is sufficient to put it into a parking orbit (170km x 36000km) around the earth, it cannot put the craft directly on a Lunar Transfer trajectory (direct path to rendezvous with the moon in six days). Knowing its limitations fully well, the Indian space agency has gradually slingshot its craft further and further away from the earth (over a span of more than two weeks) and then put it on Lunar transfer trajectory. ISRO is making up for its limitations by using an energy-efficient and frugal method to achieve its objectives. Luna-25 has been launched on a Soyuz-2 rocket with a Fregat upper stage. The launch on August 11th put the 1.8 tonne craft through a few orbits around the earth and directly on the Lunar Transfer Trajectory, thereby ensuring that it can rendezvous with the moon in around 6 days. The Luna-25 craft weighing just half as much of India's Chandrayaan-3 also gave it the added advantage of being able to reach faster. Think of it as a lighter shotput ball being thrown further and faster. While the Russian rocket is similar in terms of power and capability, when compared to India's LVM3, the lighter mass of Luna-25 makes a difference. Also watch | Chandrayaan-3: Second and final de-boosting of Vikram Lander successful Coincidence or competition? There are hundreds of news reports pitting Chandrayaan-3 and Luna-25 as a reflection of rivalry. Here are the facts - India decided upon Chandrayaan-3, almost immediately after its maiden Lunar soft-landing attempt Chandrayaan-2 failed in September 2019. In the case of Luna-25, it is more of a continuation of the Soviet-era Luna-series of missions, the last of which was Luna-24. It is after decades of delay that Luna-25 has taken flight, so it would outlandish to claim that the Russians are competing with the Indians. When launching scientific probes and spacecrafts to other planets, celestial bodies, space agencies have to look at an ideal launch date and time. These are based on precise calculations and not based on the intention to compete with another agency. If you think it's like a James Bond chase sequence in space, it is far from that! Orbital Mechanics is the science that determines when to launch spacecrafts, the path they must take, the energy efficient route it must follow, the gravitational influence of earth and other celestial bodies, the specific date when the craft must reach its destination etc. Therefore, space agencies plan a certain launch window, within which they must carry out a mission. For a mission to each celestial body, there is an ideal window - weeks or months-long, during which it is possible to carry out a mission in an energy-efficient manner (based on the position of the earth, other celestial bodies etc.). Therefore, when the time is ideal, whoever is ready with a mission will launch - sooner or later (depending on their rocket and mission specifications and preferred landing time). The landing date - Which one was to reach earlier ? For the Indian Space agency ISRO, Chandrayaan-3 must land on August 23. Why? Because, Chandrayaan-3 is meant to be operational for one Lunar day (two weeks on earth) and the Lunar day commences on August 23rd. Landing on the Lunar day will help Chandrayaan-3 harness the sunlight, use it to charge its batteries and thereby operate all the scientific payloads on-board the craft (for at least the planned duration). Solar-power is crucial for Chandrayaan-3's lander and rover, as that is its lone power source. This is why ISRO determined its launch date well in advance and made it public. Luna-25 did not depend completely on Solar power. Though it weighed less, Luna-25 used a radioactive isotope, a sort of nuclear battery, that helped it stay powered for at least one earth year. Therefore, it was theoretically possible for Luna-25 to land ahead of Chandrayaan-3. While the Russian Space agency Roscosmos did not announce the exact landing date, it was widely expected to land on August 21, two days prior to Chandrayaan-3. While many claimed that it was a space rivalry or competition between India and Russia, the prospective landing dates being so close to each other, is a mere coincidence. What this means for the Russian space programme? The crash-landing and loss of Luna-25 would certainly be a jolt to the Russian space programme, amid the ongoing geopolitical crises that stemmed from the Ukraine-Russia war. Without doubt, Russia can bounce back and learn from their mistakes and re-attempt this mission. But it would cause significant delay. Notably, Luna-25 itself was delayed by several decades and there are even reports of successor missions in the Luna series. The setback caused by Luna-25 would warrant a closer look and many modifications to future Russian Lunar missions. It is notable that standalone Russian space-exploratory missions have not had a great track record, in recent decades. High hopes on Chandrayaan-3 With its Russian co-traveller gone, Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander will be attempting its scheduled Lunar soft-landing. The Indian Space agency ISRO has announced that Vikram lander is expected to perform its soft-landing at 6:04 pm IST, August 23. Leaders from within ISRO are confident that 'Vikram' will perform a feather-like soft-landing. It would be a fitting tribute to the fallen Chandrayaan-2 and Luna-25(both of which crash-landed in 2019 and 2023, respectively), when ISRO does so on Wednesday. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Explained | India's Chandrayaan-3 loses Russian co-traveller Luna-25. What are its implications?

<p>After a 37-day journey, the Chandrayaan-3 lander craft 'Vikram' is now barely 25 kilometres above the Lunar surface. This is the lowest orbit it will remain in before it commences its powered descent (manoeuvres that will lead to the Lunar soft landing). "The powered descent is expected to commence on August 23rd, 2023, around 5:45 pm IST," ISRO said. This indicates that the Lunar soft-landing could be completed by 6:15 pm on Wednesday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The lander craft performed its second and final de-boost manoeuvre at 2 am IST, Sunday,&nbsp;August 20. This brought the lander craft from an orbit of 113kmsx157kms to an orbit of 25kmsx134kms. This means the craft is barely 25 km above the lunar surface, at its closest approach and 134 km above the lunar surface at its farthest approach.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/who-chief-hails-modis-home-state-gujarat-as-futures-mecca-of-traditional-medicine-627109">WHO chief hails Modi's home state Gujarat as future's 'Mecca of traditional medicine'</a></p>

<p>Chandrayaan-3 has a specific landing date of August 23, as the day marks the commencement of the Lunar daytime. Landing during the Lunar Day would help the Indian craft charge its batteries by harnessing solar power.</p>

<p>Given that Chandrayaan-3 (lander-rover) has a mission life of only one Lunar day (14.75 Earth days), it is imperative for the craft to begin its operations immediately once the lunar day&nbsp;breaks. This would give it the maximum possible operational time to carry out in-situ experiments, as planned.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, as it performed a similar manoeuvre to move into a pre-landing orbit, Russia's Luna-25 craft ran&nbsp;into trouble and crashed into the moon and the mission has reportedly failed. Chandrayaan's Vikram is meant to land near 70 degree latitude of the moon, which is near the unexplored southern polar region.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/ladakh-nine-indian-soldiers-dead-many-injured-after-army-vehicle-plunges-into-gorge-627075">Ladakh: Nine Indian soldiers dead after Army vehicle plunges into gorge</a></p>

<p>"Today, in accordance with the Luna-25 flight programme, at 14:10, an impulse was issued to transfer the station (craft) to the pre-landing orbit. During the operation, an emergency situation occurred on board the automatic station(robotic craft) which did not allow the maneuver to be performed with the specified parameters The management team is currently analyzing the situation" read the translated version of the Roscosmos statement released after the glitch was reported.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch | India’s Chandrayaan-3 in faceoff with Russia’s Luna-25 for unchartered lunar south pole</strong></p>

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<p>While India has undertaken Lunar missions in 2008, 2019 and now Chandrayaan-3, the erstwhile Soviet Union had performed its last Lunar lander mission in 1976. Luna-25 got delayed by more than a decade and was the maiden Lunar mission of Russia.&nbsp;</p>

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After a 37-day journey, the Chandrayaan-3 lander craft 'Vikram' is now barely 25 kilometres above the Lunar surface. This is the lowest orbit it will remain in before it commences its powered descent (manoeuvres that will lead to the Lunar soft landing).

After a 37-day journey, the Chandrayaan-3 lander craft 'Vikram' is now barely 25 kilometres above the Lunar surface. This is the lowest orbit it will remain in before it commences its powered descent (manoeuvres that will lead to the Lunar soft landing). "The powered descent is expected to commence on August 23rd, 2023, around 5:45 pm IST," ISRO said. This indicates that the Lunar soft-landing could be completed by 6:15 pm on Wednesday. The lander craft performed its second and final de-boost manoeuvre at 2 am IST, Sunday, August 20. This brought the lander craft from an orbit of 113kmsx157kms to an orbit of 25kmsx134kms. This means the craft is barely 25 km above the lunar surface, at its closest approach and 134 km above the lunar surface at its farthest approach. Also Read | WHO chief hails Modi's home state Gujarat as future's 'Mecca of traditional medicine' Chandrayaan-3 has a specific landing date of August 23, as the day marks the commencement of the Lunar daytime. Landing during the Lunar Day would help the Indian craft charge its batteries by harnessing solar power. Given that Chandrayaan-3 (lander-rover) has a mission life of only one Lunar day (14.75 Earth days), it is imperative for the craft to begin its operations immediately once the lunar day breaks. This would give it the maximum possible operational time to carry out in-situ experiments, as planned. Meanwhile, as it performed a similar manoeuvre to move into a pre-landing orbit, Russia's Luna-25 craft ran into trouble and crashed into the moon and the mission has reportedly failed. Chandrayaan's Vikram is meant to land near 70 degree latitude of the moon, which is near the unexplored southern polar region. Also Read | Ladakh: Nine Indian soldiers dead after Army vehicle plunges into gorge "Today, in accordance with the Luna-25 flight programme, at 14:10, an impulse was issued to transfer the station (craft) to the pre-landing orbit. During the operation, an emergency situation occurred on board the automatic station(robotic craft) which did not allow the maneuver to be performed with the specified parameters The management team is currently analyzing the situation" read the translated version of the Roscosmos statement released after the glitch was reported. Watch | India’s Chandrayaan-3 in faceoff with Russia’s Luna-25 for unchartered lunar south pole × While India has undertaken Lunar missions in 2008, 2019 and now Chandrayaan-3, the erstwhile Soviet Union had performed its last Lunar lander mission in 1976. Luna-25 got delayed by more than a decade and was the maiden Lunar mission of Russia. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. ×

Chandrayaan-3: Vikram lander 25km above moon, to land at break of Lunar Day on Aug 23

<p>Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 is racing towards the Moon as India seeks another milestone in its spacefaring endeavours. On Friday (August 18), the lander module of Chandrayaan-3 carried out an orbit reduction manoeuvre to draw itself closer to the Moon. It is first of two such manoeuvres. A soft landing is scheduled to take place on August 23.</p>

<p>"The Lander Module (LM) health is normal. LM successfully underwent a deboosting operation that reduced its orbit to 113 km x 157 km. The second deboosting operation is scheduled for August 20, 2023, around 0200 Hrs. IST," said ISRO on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chandrayaan-3 Mission:<br />
The Lander Module (LM) health is normal.<br />
<br />
LM successfully underwent a deboosting operation that reduced its orbit to 113 km x 157 km.<br />
<br />
The second deboosting operation is scheduled for August 20, 2023, around 0200 Hrs. IST <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chandrayaan_3?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chandrayaan_3</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ch3?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ch3</a> <a href="https://t.co/0PVxV8Gw5z">pic.twitter.com/0PVxV8Gw5z</a></p>
— ISRO (@isro) <a href="https://twitter.com/isro/status/1692484515963588645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>In its Chadrayaan-2 mission, India was not able to land on the Moon successfully but the mission helping its successor to succeed nonetheless. The orbiter from Chandrayaan-2 mission has been orbiting Earth's only sattelite for past four years. And it is set to do its bit to ensure that Chandrayaan-3 mission succeeds.</p>

<p><strong>Watch | Chandrayaan-3 shares new video as it readies for touchdown</strong></p>

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<p>The orbiter is contributing to the mission already as it has identified a relatively safe place on Moon for the lander to land. Additionally, it will also facilitate communication between the lander module and Earth. This means that Chandrayaan-3 lander, when it lands, will first send message to Chandrayaan-2 orbiter which will then relay it to Earth. Chandrayaan-3 lander has an independent capacity to communicate with Earth as well but when it will land, ISRO would have benefit of having 'boots on grounds' as well as in the orbit of the Moon.</p>

<p>“Ultimately, the radio signals will come to earth from the orbiter and this is not from Chandrayaan-3 but from the orbiter of Chandrayaan-2. The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is functioning very well and it will communicate with the Chandrayaan-3 lander. This signal will reach the ground station,” ISRO chairman S Somnath said in a public interaction on August 9.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/chandrayaan-3-vikram-lander-healthy-completes-its-maiden-solo-manoeuvre-626727">Chandrayaan-3: Vikram Lander 'healthy', completes its maiden solo manoeuvre</a></strong></p>

<p>“Suppose, for any reason, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is not working properly then the Chandrayaan-3 lander will communicate directly with Earth. For the rover (which will be released after a safe and soft landing) the communication is only with the lander and the lander will communicate with the orbiter or earth stations,” Somnath said.</p>

<p>When Chandrayaan-2 was approaching the Moon, its landing site was finalised based on pictures of the Moon obtained from other space agencies. But this time India is finalising things on its own.</p>

<p>“The landing site area is increased to four km by 2.4 km against the (earlier) 0.5 x 0.5 for C2. The lander will land in the middle of the landing site. The landing site has been imaged properly. We found that the landing site is reasonably flat but it still contains craters and boulders but compared to other locations it is flatter. The camera (onboard the lander) will still have to look before landing to see there are no craters or boulders,” the ISRO chairman said.</p>

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Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 is racing towards the Moon as India seeks another milestone in its spacefaring endeavours. On Friday (August 18), the lander module of Chandrayaan-3 carried out an orbit reduction manoeuvre to draw itself closer to the Moon.

Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 is racing towards the Moon as India seeks another milestone in its spacefaring endeavours. On Friday (August 18), the lander module of Chandrayaan-3 carried out an orbit reduction manoeuvre to draw itself closer to the Moon. It is first of two such manoeuvres. A soft landing is scheduled to take place on August 23. "The Lander Module (LM) health is normal. LM successfully underwent a deboosting operation that reduced its orbit to 113 km x 157 km. The second deboosting operation is scheduled for August 20, 2023, around 0200 Hrs. IST," said ISRO on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Chandrayaan-3 Mission: The Lander Module (LM) health is normal. LM successfully underwent a deboosting operation that reduced its orbit to 113 km x 157 km. The second deboosting operation is scheduled for August 20, 2023, around 0200 Hrs. IST #Chandrayaan_3#Ch3 pic.twitter.com/0PVxV8Gw5z — ISRO (@isro) August 18, 2023 × In its Chadrayaan-2 mission, India was not able to land on the Moon successfully but the mission helping its successor to succeed nonetheless. The orbiter from Chandrayaan-2 mission has been orbiting Earth's only sattelite for past four years. And it is set to do its bit to ensure that Chandrayaan-3 mission succeeds. Watch | Chandrayaan-3 shares new video as it readies for touchdown × The orbiter is contributing to the mission already as it has identified a relatively safe place on Moon for the lander to land. Additionally, it will also facilitate communication between the lander module and Earth. This means that Chandrayaan-3 lander, when it lands, will first send message to Chandrayaan-2 orbiter which will then relay it to Earth. Chandrayaan-3 lander has an independent capacity to communicate with Earth as well but when it will land, ISRO would have benefit of having 'boots on grounds' as well as in the orbit of the Moon. “Ultimately, the radio signals will come to earth from the orbiter and this is not from Chandrayaan-3 but from the orbiter of Chandrayaan-2. The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is functioning very well and it will communicate with the Chandrayaan-3 lander. This signal will reach the ground station,” ISRO chairman S Somnath said in a public interaction on August 9. Also Read | Chandrayaan-3: Vikram Lander 'healthy', completes its maiden solo manoeuvre “Suppose, for any reason, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is not working properly then the Chandrayaan-3 lander will communicate directly with Earth. For the rover (which will be released after a safe and soft landing) the communication is only with the lander and the lander will communicate with the orbiter or earth stations,” Somnath said. When Chandrayaan-2 was approaching the Moon, its landing site was finalised based on pictures of the Moon obtained from other space agencies. But this time India is finalising things on its own. “The landing site area is increased to four km by 2.4 km against the (earlier) 0.5 x 0.5 for C2. The lander will land in the middle of the landing site. The landing site has been imaged properly. We found that the landing site is reasonably flat but it still contains craters and boulders but compared to other locations it is flatter. The camera (onboard the lander) will still have to look before landing to see there are no craters or boulders,” the ISRO chairman said. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

As Chandrayaan-3 approaches Moon, Chandrayaan-2 lends helping hand

India's third lunar mission is inching closer to the Moon's little-explored south pole where it aims to set down a lander and rover on 23 August.

Chandrayaan-3 shares new video as it readies for touchdown

<p><meta name="uuid" content="uuidMuZXOZ0J8V4b" /><meta charset="utf-8" />The Indian Space agency ISRO announced that the Chandrayaan-3 Lander module is in 'normal health' and that it reduced its orbit for the first time. This is the maiden manoeuvre to be performed individually by the lander module. It was on Thursday (August 17) that the integrated spacecraft had separated into two parts — Lander Module (LM) and Propulsion Module (PM). Till Thursday, all manoeuvres of the integrated spacecraft (LM and PM), were being performed by the Propulsion module.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chandrayaan-3 Mission:<br />
The Lander Module (LM) health is normal.<br />
<br />
LM successfully underwent a deboosting operation that reduced its orbit to 113 km x 157 km.<br />
<br />
The second deboosting operation is scheduled for August 20, 2023, around 0200 Hrs. IST <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chandrayaan_3?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chandrayaan_3</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ch3?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ch3</a> <a href="https://t.co/0PVxV8Gw5z">pic.twitter.com/0PVxV8Gw5z</a></p>
— ISRO (@isro) <a href="https://twitter.com/isro/status/1692484515963588645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>Vikram lander's maiden de-boosting manoeuvre on Friday has taken it into a 113kmx157km orbit. The subsequent de-boosting will be done in the wee hours of Sunday (0200hrs IST), said ISRO.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While the Propulsion module continues to orbit the moon for a few years, the Lander module is headed towards the Lunar surface, in preparation for its soft-landing scheduled for 23rd August.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/chandrayaan-3-isro-releases-close-up-images-of-moon-deboosting-procedure-initiated-626706"><strong>Also read:&nbsp;Chandrayaan-3: ISRO releases close-up images of moon, deboosting procedure initiated</strong></a></p>

<p>With the Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module included, India now has three of its crafts circling the moon. This includes Chandrayaan-1(defunct), Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and the Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module. India commenced its lunar exploration journey in 2008 with Chandrayaan-1 and then followed it up with Chandrayaan-2 in 2019, and Chandrayaan-3 in July this year.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>The 4 vehicles in Chandrayaan-3 mission&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>Any spacefaring mission is like a relay race - there are many performers and each one completes their task and hands over to the next. On July 14th, the LVM3 rocket was the vehicle that carried the 3.9 tonne spacecraft (comprising propulsion module, lander and rover) into the earth's orbit. Performing its task in about 16 minutes, India's largest rocket injected the satellites into the desired orbit.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Chandrayaan-3: India's lunar mission captures global interest</strong></p>

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<p>Then on, the craft's propulsion module gradually pushed and steered the craft away from the earth, using its onboard engines. Until July 31st, the craft orbited the earth and then fired its engines to gain more velocity, pushing itself to rendezvous with the moon in a few days (Lunar transfer trajectory). On August 5th, the craft reached the vicinity of the moon and fired its engines to slow itself down, reduce its orbit and get captured by Lunar gravity.&nbsp;</p>

<p>From August 5th till August 17th, the craft has been circling the moon. Once in a few days, the craft retro-fired its engines to slow down and reduce its orbit and get closer to the Lunar surface. On Thursday, 17th August, as the craft was in a 153kmx163km orbit, the propulsion module and lander module separated. This means that the propulsion module has completed its core task of getting the craft to an orbit around the moon.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Henceforth, it will be the responsibility of the Vikram lander to test its cameras, sensors and engines, as it prepares for a Lunar landing. The lander craft will commence reducing its orbit on Friday and eventually cut down its velocity from a few kilometres per second to 1 metre per second, which is the ideal speed for lunar soft-landing.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After the successful soft-landing, the lander is meant to open its ramp and allow the 'Pragyan' rover to roll out onto the Lunar surface. In close coordination with each other, the lander, rover and propulsion module would then carry out their respective scientific tasks and send data back to Earth. As far as the lander and rover are concerned, ISRO is looking at an operational life of one Lunar day or two weeks on Earth. However, after the lunar night passes and the new dawn breaks, when the sunlight is available, it is possible that the lander and rover come back to life.&nbsp;</p>

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The Indian Space agency ISRO announced that the Chandrayaan-3 Lander module is in 'normal health' and that it reduced its orbit for the first time. This is the maiden manoeuvre to be performed individually by the lander module.

The Indian Space agency ISRO announced that the Chandrayaan-3 Lander module is in 'normal health' and that it reduced its orbit for the first time. This is the maiden manoeuvre to be performed individually by the lander module. It was on Thursday (August 17) that the integrated spacecraft had separated into two parts — Lander Module (LM) and Propulsion Module (PM). Till Thursday, all manoeuvres of the integrated spacecraft (LM and PM), were being performed by the Propulsion module. Chandrayaan-3 Mission: The Lander Module (LM) health is normal. LM successfully underwent a deboosting operation that reduced its orbit to 113 km x 157 km. The second deboosting operation is scheduled for August 20, 2023, around 0200 Hrs. IST #Chandrayaan_3#Ch3 pic.twitter.com/0PVxV8Gw5z — ISRO (@isro) August 18, 2023 × Vikram lander's maiden de-boosting manoeuvre on Friday has taken it into a 113kmx157km orbit. The subsequent de-boosting will be done in the wee hours of Sunday (0200hrs IST), said ISRO. While the Propulsion module continues to orbit the moon for a few years, the Lander module is headed towards the Lunar surface, in preparation for its soft-landing scheduled for 23rd August. Also read: Chandrayaan-3: ISRO releases close-up images of moon, deboosting procedure initiated With the Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module included, India now has three of its crafts circling the moon. This includes Chandrayaan-1(defunct), Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and the Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module. India commenced its lunar exploration journey in 2008 with Chandrayaan-1 and then followed it up with Chandrayaan-2 in 2019, and Chandrayaan-3 in July this year. The 4 vehicles in Chandrayaan-3 mission Any spacefaring mission is like a relay race - there are many performers and each one completes their task and hands over to the next. On July 14th, the LVM3 rocket was the vehicle that carried the 3.9 tonne spacecraft (comprising propulsion module, lander and rover) into the earth's orbit. Performing its task in about 16 minutes, India's largest rocket injected the satellites into the desired orbit. Watch: Chandrayaan-3: India's lunar mission captures global interest × Then on, the craft's propulsion module gradually pushed and steered the craft away from the earth, using its onboard engines. Until July 31st, the craft orbited the earth and then fired its engines to gain more velocity, pushing itself to rendezvous with the moon in a few days (Lunar transfer trajectory). On August 5th, the craft reached the vicinity of the moon and fired its engines to slow itself down, reduce its orbit and get captured by Lunar gravity. From August 5th till August 17th, the craft has been circling the moon. Once in a few days, the craft retro-fired its engines to slow down and reduce its orbit and get closer to the Lunar surface. On Thursday, 17th August, as the craft was in a 153kmx163km orbit, the propulsion module and lander module separated. This means that the propulsion module has completed its core task of getting the craft to an orbit around the moon. Henceforth, it will be the responsibility of the Vikram lander to test its cameras, sensors and engines, as it prepares for a Lunar landing. The lander craft will commence reducing its orbit on Friday and eventually cut down its velocity from a few kilometres per second to 1 metre per second, which is the ideal speed for lunar soft-landing. After the successful soft-landing, the lander is meant to open its ramp and allow the 'Pragyan' rover to roll out onto the Lunar surface. In close coordination with each other, the lander, rover and propulsion module would then carry out their respective scientific tasks and send data back to Earth. As far as the lander and rover are concerned, ISRO is looking at an operational life of one Lunar day or two weeks on Earth. However, after the lunar night passes and the new dawn breaks, when the sunlight is available, it is possible that the lander and rover come back to life. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Chandrayaan-3: Vikram Lander 'healthy', completes its maiden solo manoeuvre

Chandrayaan-3: Lunar lander Vikram undergoes first successful debossing

<p>Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to make history as it looks forward to attempting a successful soft landing on the moon on August 23 under its Chandrayaan-3 mission.</p>

<p>Earlier, the spacecraft performed a successful separation of Vikram lander from the propulsion module on August 17.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the Indian space agency on Friday (August 18) released new stunning images of the moon captured by the Vikram lander between August 15 and 17. It also shared a video filmed just after the separation of the lander and the propulsion module. Take a look!</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chandrayaan-3 Mission:<br />
<br />
🌖 as captured by the<br />
Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC)<br />
on August 15, 2023<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chandrayaan_3?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chandrayaan_3</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ch3?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ch3</a> <a href="https://t.co/nGgayU1QUS">pic.twitter.com/nGgayU1QUS</a></p>
— ISRO (@isro) <a href="https://twitter.com/isro/status/1692474762369626329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chandrayaan-3 Mission:<br />
<br />
View from the Lander Imager (LI) Camera-1<br />
on August 17, 2023<br />
just after the separation of the Lander Module from the Propulsion Module <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chandrayaan_3?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chandrayaan_3</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ch3?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ch3</a> <a href="https://t.co/abPIyEn1Ad">pic.twitter.com/abPIyEn1Ad</a></p>
— ISRO (@isro) <a href="https://twitter.com/isro/status/1692476417093890282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>ISRO said these images were taken by the Lander Position Detection Camera.</p>

<h2><strong>Biggest challenge for ISRO</strong></h2>

<p>ISRO Chairperson S Somanath said that the next biggest challenge for ISRO would be to change the direction of the lander. He mentioned that the initial velocity during the landing process is approximately 1.68 km per second, but this speed runs parallel to the moon's surface.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is currently tilted at almost a 90-degree angle and needs to transition to a vertical position.</p>

<p>The ISRO chief referred to this manoeuvre as the most important step in the landing attempt.</p>

<h2><strong>First de-boosting procedure initiated</strong></h2>

<p>On Friday, August 18,&nbsp;at around 4 PM IST, the lander module started 'deboosting'. Deboosting involves decelerating to establish an orbit where the nearest point to the Moon (Perilune) is 30 km and the farthest point (Apolune) is 100 km.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Chandrayaan-3: Challenges ahead of Vikram lander's solo journey to the Moon</strong></p>

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<p>From Chandrayaan-3 to Russia’s Luna-25 mission and Artemis II, global interest in lunar exploration is growing.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Why space powers are interested in exploring the moon?</strong></h2>

<p>The first confirmation of lunar water came in 2008, detected by India's Chandrayaan-1 mission. The mission detected hydroxyl molecules across the lunar surface and concentrated near the poles. Water is vital for human life and a potential source of hydrogen and oxygen, crucial for rocket fuel.</p>

<p>Furthermore, Helium-3, a rare isotope on Earth, is estimated to exist in about a million tonnes on the moon. It could offer nuclear fusion energy without radioactive waste, as suggested by the European Space Agency.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chandrayaan-3-just-a-week-away-from-lunar-soft-landing-625932"><strong>Also read:&nbsp;Chandrayaan-3 just a week away from lunar soft landing</strong></a></p>

<p>Also, valuable rare earth metals, essential for electronics and advanced technologies (like smartphones and computers), are present on the moon, including scandium, yttrium, and the 15 lanthanides. So, further exploration could pave the way for resource mining on the moon.</p>

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Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to make history as it looks forward to attempting a successful soft landing on the moon on August 23 under its Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to make history as it looks forward to attempting a successful soft landing on the moon on August 23 under its Chandrayaan-3 mission. Earlier, the spacecraft performed a successful separation of Vikram lander from the propulsion module on August 17. Meanwhile, the Indian space agency on Friday (August 18) released new stunning images of the moon captured by the Vikram lander between August 15 and 17. It also shared a video filmed just after the separation of the lander and the propulsion module. Take a look! Chandrayaan-3 Mission: 🌖 as captured by the Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC) on August 15, 2023#Chandrayaan_3#Ch3 pic.twitter.com/nGgayU1QUS — ISRO (@isro) August 18, 2023 × Chandrayaan-3 Mission: View from the Lander Imager (LI) Camera-1 on August 17, 2023 just after the separation of the Lander Module from the Propulsion Module #Chandrayaan_3 #Ch3 pic.twitter.com/abPIyEn1Ad — ISRO (@isro) August 18, 2023 × ISRO said these images were taken by the Lander Position Detection Camera. Biggest challenge for ISRO ISRO Chairperson S Somanath said that the next biggest challenge for ISRO would be to change the direction of the lander. He mentioned that the initial velocity during the landing process is approximately 1.68 km per second, but this speed runs parallel to the moon's surface. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is currently tilted at almost a 90-degree angle and needs to transition to a vertical position. The ISRO chief referred to this manoeuvre as the most important step in the landing attempt. First de-boosting procedure initiated On Friday, August 18, at around 4 PM IST, the lander module started 'deboosting'. Deboosting involves decelerating to establish an orbit where the nearest point to the Moon (Perilune) is 30 km and the farthest point (Apolune) is 100 km. Watch: Chandrayaan-3: Challenges ahead of Vikram lander's solo journey to the Moon × From Chandrayaan-3 to Russia’s Luna-25 mission and Artemis II, global interest in lunar exploration is growing. Why space powers are interested in exploring the moon? The first confirmation of lunar water came in 2008, detected by India's Chandrayaan-1 mission. The mission detected hydroxyl molecules across the lunar surface and concentrated near the poles. Water is vital for human life and a potential source of hydrogen and oxygen, crucial for rocket fuel. Furthermore, Helium-3, a rare isotope on Earth, is estimated to exist in about a million tonnes on the moon. It could offer nuclear fusion energy without radioactive waste, as suggested by the European Space Agency. Also read: Chandrayaan-3 just a week away from lunar soft landing Also, valuable rare earth metals, essential for electronics and advanced technologies (like smartphones and computers), are present on the moon, including scandium, yttrium, and the 15 lanthanides. So, further exploration could pave the way for resource mining on the moon. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Chandrayaan-3: ISRO releases close-up images of moon, deboosting procedure initiated

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<p>There are five days to go for the historic Lunar soft-landing attempt of India's Chandrayaan-3. Once accomplished, India would be the fourth nation to soft-land a craft on the Lunar surface. Sharing his resounding optimism about the same, Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, echoed the anticipation of the nation, as it awaits the historic touchdown of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the Lunar surface. Conveying his wishes to the ISRO fraternity for the big moment, Dr Nair said, "For a feather-like landing of Chandrayaan-3, on August 23rd, in the evening...".</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Feather-like <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lunar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lunar</a> soft landing for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chandrayaan3?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chandrayaan3</a>.." says <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/isro?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#isro</a> VSSC Director Dr. S. Unnikrishnan Nair<br />
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This indicates the optimism among <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/indian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#indian</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/space?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#space</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/science?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#science</a> fraternity, that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/india?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#india</a> will be the 4th nation to soft-land on d <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/moon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#moon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tech?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tech</a><br />
<br />
5 days to go for D-Day <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chandrayaan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chandrayaan</a> <a href="https://t.co/BSu2K4W4xA">pic.twitter.com/BSu2K4W4xA</a></p>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1692467219735945217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>Dr Nair was addressing the 11th convocation of the Government-run Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram, where he serves as the director. On Friday, the institute conferred degrees on a total of 275 students of B.Tech, M.Tech and PhD.<br />
<br />
The convocation was presided over by top officials from the Indian space sector — Dr&nbsp;B N Suresh, Chancellor, IIST, Dr&nbsp;K Radhakrishnan, Member Space Commission &amp; former Chairman ISRO, Dr&nbsp;S Somanath, Chairman ISRO, Dr&nbsp;V Narayanan, Director ISRO, LPSC among others.&nbsp;</p>

<p>IIST is the first of its kind in the country&nbsp;to offer high-quality education at the undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral levels in areas with a special focus on space sciences, space technology and space applications. "Together, we stand on the precipice of scientific achievement, united in the pursuit of knowledge and exploration... In that, may our nation's development thrive," Dr Nair said at the convocation.</p>

<p>On Thursday, 17&nbsp;August, after completing a 33-day journey in transit in space, the integrated Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft separated into two parts - the propulsion module (PM) and the lander module (LM). While the PM will continue to orbit the moon, the LM will gradually de-boost, lower its orbit around the moon and prepare for the lunar landing, planned for 23rd August, around 5:47pm IST.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft is also attempting to soft-land on the moon, between 21st and 23rd August. While the erstwhile Soviet Union performed multiple unmanned lunar fly-bys and succeeded in lunar landing and exploration missions, Luna-25 will be the first for Russia. India's Chandrayaan-3 and Russia's Luna are targeting to land near the Lunar south pole, an unexplored and highly-cratered region that could potentially hold deposits of water ice and offer insights into the origin and evolution of the moon.&nbsp;<br />
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There are five days to go for the historic Lunar soft-landing attempt of India's Chandrayaan-3. Once accomplished, India would be the fourth nation to soft-land a craft on the Lunar surface.

There are five days to go for the historic Lunar soft-landing attempt of India's Chandrayaan-3. Once accomplished, India would be the fourth nation to soft-land a craft on the Lunar surface. Sharing his resounding optimism about the same, Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, echoed the anticipation of the nation, as it awaits the historic touchdown of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the Lunar surface. Conveying his wishes to the ISRO fraternity for the big moment, Dr Nair said, "For a feather-like landing of Chandrayaan-3, on August 23rd, in the evening...". "Feather-like #lunar soft landing for #Chandrayaan3.." says #isro VSSC Director Dr. S. Unnikrishnan Nair This indicates the optimism among #indian #space #science fraternity, that #india will be the 4th nation to soft-land on d #moon #tech 5 days to go for D-Day #Chandrayaan pic.twitter.com/BSu2K4W4xA — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) August 18, 2023 × Dr Nair was addressing the 11th convocation of the Government-run Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram, where he serves as the director. On Friday, the institute conferred degrees on a total of 275 students of B.Tech, M.Tech and PhD. The convocation was presided over by top officials from the Indian space sector — Dr B N Suresh, Chancellor, IIST, Dr K Radhakrishnan, Member Space Commission & former Chairman ISRO, Dr S Somanath, Chairman ISRO, Dr V Narayanan, Director ISRO, LPSC among others. IIST is the first of its kind in the country to offer high-quality education at the undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral levels in areas with a special focus on space sciences, space technology and space applications. "Together, we stand on the precipice of scientific achievement, united in the pursuit of knowledge and exploration... In that, may our nation's development thrive," Dr Nair said at the convocation. On Thursday, 17 August, after completing a 33-day journey in transit in space, the integrated Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft separated into two parts - the propulsion module (PM) and the lander module (LM). While the PM will continue to orbit the moon, the LM will gradually de-boost, lower its orbit around the moon and prepare for the lunar landing, planned for 23rd August, around 5:47pm IST. Meanwhile, Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft is also attempting to soft-land on the moon, between 21st and 23rd August. While the erstwhile Soviet Union performed multiple unmanned lunar fly-bys and succeeded in lunar landing and exploration missions, Luna-25 will be the first for Russia. India's Chandrayaan-3 and Russia's Luna are targeting to land near the Lunar south pole, an unexplored and highly-cratered region that could potentially hold deposits of water ice and offer insights into the origin and evolution of the moon. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Chandrayaan-3: ISRO director expresses optimism, says it will be ‘feather-like’ soft-landing

In the latest, Chandrayaan-3's Lander has detached from the Propulsion module. The Lander's next task is to make a safe landing on the moon. What are the payloads on the Lander? Molly Gambhir brings you a report.

Gravitas: Chandrayaan-3's Lander detaches from the propulsion module

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<p>As the Indian lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 entered its third and final phase, the Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander has now taken over the reins of the high-profile mission. Around 1 pm IST, on Thursday (August 17), the Indian space agency ISRO announced that the Chandrayaan-3 integrated spacecraft had separated into two parts - the propulsion module and the lander module.</p>

<p>While the propulsion module continues to orbit the moon for a few years, the lander module is headed towards the Lunar surface, in preparation for its lunar soft-landing scheduled for August 23.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"LM is successfully separated from the Propulsion Module (PM). LM is set to descend to a slightly lower orbit upon a deboosting planned for tomorrow around 1600 Hrs., IST," ISRO tweeted.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The most-anticipated Divorce case in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/india?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#india</a><br />
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Propulsion module vs Vikram lander...After a harmonious 34day journey in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/space?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#space</a>, propulsion module which got both of them till the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/moon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#moon</a>, will separate from the lander<br />
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Perhaps, around noon today🤞<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/isro?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#isro</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chandrayaan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chandrayaan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tech?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tech</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/science?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#science</a> <a href="https://t.co/VwjRUQRx2a">pic.twitter.com/VwjRUQRx2a</a></p>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1692038761281179939?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>With the Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module included, India now has three of its crafts circling the moon. This includes Chandrayaan-1 (defunct), Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and the Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module. India commenced its lunar exploration journey in 2008 with Chandrayaan-1 and then followed it up with Chandrayaan-2 in 2019, and Chandrayaan-3 in July this year.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chandrayaan-3-just-a-week-away-from-lunar-soft-landing-625932"><strong>Also read |&nbsp;Chandrayaan-3 just a week away from lunar soft landing</strong></a></p>

<h2><strong>Four vehicles in Chandrayaan-3 mission&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>Any spacefaring mission is like a relay race — there are many performers and each one completes their task and hands over to the next. On July 14, the LVM3 rocket was the vehicle that carried the 3.9-tonne spacecraft (comprising the propulsion module, lander and rover) into the earth's orbit. Performing its task in about 16 minutes, India's largest rocket injected the satellites into the desired orbit.</p>

<p>Then on, the craft's propulsion module gradually pushed and steered the craft away from the Earth, using its onboard engines. Until July 31, the craft orbited the earth and then fired its engines to gain more velocity, pushing itself to rendezvous with the moon in a few days (lunar transfer trajectory). On August 5, the craft reached the vicinity of the moon and fired its engines to slow itself down, reduce its orbit and get captured by lunar gravity.&nbsp;</p>

<p>From August 5 till August 17, the craft has been circling the moon. Once in a few days, the craft retro-fired its engines to slow down and reduce its orbit and get closer to the lunar surface. On Thursday, as the craft was in a 153 km x 163 km orbit, the propulsion module and lander module separated. This means that the propulsion module has completed its core task of getting the craft into an orbit around the moon.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/chandrayaan-3-to-land-on-the-moon-on-august-23-626135"><strong>Watch |&nbsp;Chandrayaan-3 to land on the moon on August 23</strong></a></p>

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<p>Henceforth, it will be the responsibility of the Vikram lander to test its cameras, sensors and engines, as it prepares for a lunar soft landing. The lander craft will commence reducing its orbit on Friday (August 18) and eventually cut down its velocity from a few kilometres/second to one metre/second, which is the ideal speed for lunar soft-landing.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After the successful soft landing, the lander is meant to open its ramp and allow the 'Pragyan' rover to roll out onto the lunar surface. In close coordination with each other, the lander, rover and propulsion module would then carry out their respective scientific tasks and send their data back to Earth.</p>

<p>As far as the lander and rover are concerned, ISRO is looking at an operational life of one lunar day or two weeks on Earth. However, after the lunar night passes and the new dawn breaks, when the sunlight is available, it is possible that the lander and rover come back to life.&nbsp;</p>

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As the Indian lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 entered its third and final phase, the Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander has now taken over the reins of the high-profile mission.

As the Indian lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 entered its third and final phase, the Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander has now taken over the reins of the high-profile mission. Around 1 pm IST, on Thursday (August 17), the Indian space agency ISRO announced that the Chandrayaan-3 integrated spacecraft had separated into two parts - the propulsion module and the lander module. While the propulsion module continues to orbit the moon for a few years, the lander module is headed towards the Lunar surface, in preparation for its lunar soft-landing scheduled for August 23. "LM is successfully separated from the Propulsion Module (PM). LM is set to descend to a slightly lower orbit upon a deboosting planned for tomorrow around 1600 Hrs., IST," ISRO tweeted. The most-anticipated Divorce case in #india Propulsion module vs Vikram lander...After a harmonious 34day journey in #space, propulsion module which got both of them till the #moon, will separate from the lander Perhaps, around noon today🤞#isro #Chandrayaan #tech #science pic.twitter.com/VwjRUQRx2a — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) August 17, 2023 × With the Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module included, India now has three of its crafts circling the moon. This includes Chandrayaan-1 (defunct), Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and the Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module. India commenced its lunar exploration journey in 2008 with Chandrayaan-1 and then followed it up with Chandrayaan-2 in 2019, and Chandrayaan-3 in July this year. Also read | Chandrayaan-3 just a week away from lunar soft landing Four vehicles in Chandrayaan-3 mission Any spacefaring mission is like a relay race — there are many performers and each one completes their task and hands over to the next. On July 14, the LVM3 rocket was the vehicle that carried the 3.9-tonne spacecraft (comprising the propulsion module, lander and rover) into the earth's orbit. Performing its task in about 16 minutes, India's largest rocket injected the satellites into the desired orbit. Then on, the craft's propulsion module gradually pushed and steered the craft away from the Earth, using its onboard engines. Until July 31, the craft orbited the earth and then fired its engines to gain more velocity, pushing itself to rendezvous with the moon in a few days (lunar transfer trajectory). On August 5, the craft reached the vicinity of the moon and fired its engines to slow itself down, reduce its orbit and get captured by lunar gravity. From August 5 till August 17, the craft has been circling the moon. Once in a few days, the craft retro-fired its engines to slow down and reduce its orbit and get closer to the lunar surface. On Thursday, as the craft was in a 153 km x 163 km orbit, the propulsion module and lander module separated. This means that the propulsion module has completed its core task of getting the craft into an orbit around the moon. Watch | Chandrayaan-3 to land on the moon on August 23 × Henceforth, it will be the responsibility of the Vikram lander to test its cameras, sensors and engines, as it prepares for a lunar soft landing. The lander craft will commence reducing its orbit on Friday (August 18) and eventually cut down its velocity from a few kilometres/second to one metre/second, which is the ideal speed for lunar soft-landing. After the successful soft landing, the lander is meant to open its ramp and allow the 'Pragyan' rover to roll out onto the lunar surface. In close coordination with each other, the lander, rover and propulsion module would then carry out their respective scientific tasks and send their data back to Earth. As far as the lander and rover are concerned, ISRO is looking at an operational life of one lunar day or two weeks on Earth. However, after the lunar night passes and the new dawn breaks, when the sunlight is available, it is possible that the lander and rover come back to life. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Chandrayaan-3 mission: Two vehicles have done their job, two more to go

ISRO announced the successful separation of the Vikram lander module carrying Pragyan rover from the propulsion module on Thursday.

Chandrayaan-3 lander successfully separated from propulsion module

<p>After 47 years, Russia is&nbsp;gearing up for its&nbsp;first lunar landing mission,&nbsp;Luna-25, which is nearing the moon. The mission comes at a time when Chandrayaan-3’s landing date is also approaching. Its arrival on the moon's surface could happen in a timeframe that is nearly identical to Chandrayaan-3's or even slightly faster.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As Chandrayaan-3 continues to draw closer to its targeted lunar touchdown, another contender in lunar exploration, Luna-25, the Russian lunar mission launched just last week, has successfully entered lunar orbit and is gearing up for a soft landing attempt on the lunar surface between August 21 and 23. This timing potentially positions Luna-25 ahead of Chandrayaan-3's planned touchdown on August 23.</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india76-the-effect-of-jay-prakash-narayan-movement-623859">India Independence: The effect of Jay Prakash Narayan movement on the nation</a></p>

<h2><strong>When will Russia's Luna-25 land on the moon?</strong></h2>

<p>The launch happened from Russia's spaceport, Vostochny Cosmodrome, 3,450 miles (5,550 km) east of Moscow and was to take considerably less time than India's Chandrayaan-3.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Russian space agency Roscosmos has told Reuters that its Luna-25 spacecraft would take five days to fly to the moon and then spend five to seven days in lunar orbit before descending on one of the three possible landing sites near the pole.</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-govt-to-investigate-enigmatic-havana-syndrome-after-startling-incident-in-delhi-623826">Indian govt to investigate enigmatic Havana Syndrome after startling incident in Delhi</a></p>

<p>Earlier on August 8, ISRO chairman S Somanath said that Vikram, the lander of India’s third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3, will be able to make a soft landing on the Moon's surface on August 23 even if all the sensors and two of its engines do not work.</p>

<h2><strong>Will the two lunar missions get in each other’s way?</strong></h2>

<p>Roscosmos has said that the two missions would not get in each other's way because they have different landing areas planned, Reuters has reported. "There is no danger that they interfere with each other or collide. There is enough space for everyone on the moon," it said as quoted by Reuters.</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-chandrayaan-3-performs-second-lunar-orbit-reduction-623852">India's Chandrayaan-3 performs second Lunar orbit reduction</a></p>

<p>India's Chandrayaan-3 is due to run experiments for two weeks while Luna-25 will work on the moon for a year. With a mass of 1.8 tonnes&nbsp;and carrying 31 kg (68 pounds) of scientific equipment, Luna-25 will use a scoop to take rock samples from a depth of up to 15 cm (6 inches) to test for the presence of frozen water that could support human life.</p>

<p>Originally scheduled for October 2021, Luna-25's launch was postponed by over two years. The European Space Agency (ESA) intended to test its Pilot-D guidance camera by mounting it to Luna-25. However, after Russia invaded Ukraine in February of last year, the ESA severed its ties to the project.<br />
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<em>(With inputs from agencies)</em><br />
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After 47 years, Russia is gearing up for its first lunar landing mission, Luna-25, which is nearing the moon. The mission comes at a time when Chandrayaan-3’s landing date is also approaching.

After 47 years, Russia is gearing up for its first lunar landing mission, Luna-25, which is nearing the moon. The mission comes at a time when Chandrayaan-3’s landing date is also approaching. Its arrival on the moon's surface could happen in a timeframe that is nearly identical to Chandrayaan-3's or even slightly faster. As Chandrayaan-3 continues to draw closer to its targeted lunar touchdown, another contender in lunar exploration, Luna-25, the Russian lunar mission launched just last week, has successfully entered lunar orbit and is gearing up for a soft landing attempt on the lunar surface between August 21 and 23. This timing potentially positions Luna-25 ahead of Chandrayaan-3's planned touchdown on August 23. Also Read | India Independence: The effect of Jay Prakash Narayan movement on the nation When will Russia's Luna-25 land on the moon? The launch happened from Russia's spaceport, Vostochny Cosmodrome, 3,450 miles (5,550 km) east of Moscow and was to take considerably less time than India's Chandrayaan-3. The Russian space agency Roscosmos has told Reuters that its Luna-25 spacecraft would take five days to fly to the moon and then spend five to seven days in lunar orbit before descending on one of the three possible landing sites near the pole. Also Read | Indian govt to investigate enigmatic Havana Syndrome after startling incident in Delhi Earlier on August 8, ISRO chairman S Somanath said that Vikram, the lander of India’s third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3, will be able to make a soft landing on the Moon's surface on August 23 even if all the sensors and two of its engines do not work. Will the two lunar missions get in each other’s way? Roscosmos has said that the two missions would not get in each other's way because they have different landing areas planned, Reuters has reported. "There is no danger that they interfere with each other or collide. There is enough space for everyone on the moon," it said as quoted by Reuters. Also Read | India's Chandrayaan-3 performs second Lunar orbit reduction India's Chandrayaan-3 is due to run experiments for two weeks while Luna-25 will work on the moon for a year. With a mass of 1.8 tonnes and carrying 31 kg (68 pounds) of scientific equipment, Luna-25 will use a scoop to take rock samples from a depth of up to 15 cm (6 inches) to test for the presence of frozen water that could support human life. Originally scheduled for October 2021, Luna-25's launch was postponed by over two years. The European Space Agency (ESA) intended to test its Pilot-D guidance camera by mounting it to Luna-25. However, after Russia invaded Ukraine in February of last year, the ESA severed its ties to the project. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Chandrayaan-3 vs Russia's Luna-25: Will the two lunar missions get in each other’s way?

Chandrayaan-3 is expected to land on the lunar surface around August 23 after completing a 40-day journey. On the other hand, Luna-25 is expected to land on the moon around August 21, two days ahead of Chandrayaan-3. However, both missions will attempt to land on the lunar south pole.

Chandrayaan-3: What is expected to happen next? When & Why ISRO's previous mission failed?

Chandrayaan-3: ISRO's spacecraft just a week away from lunar soft landing

Beautiful photos of the earth and moon taken by Chandrayaan 3's cameras have been released by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The moon's image was captured by Chandrayaan 3's Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera (LHVC) a day after the Lunar Orbit Insertion on August 6, according to a tweet from the space agency. The image of the earth was taken by the spacecraft's Lander Imager (LI) camera on the day of its launch on July 14, 2023.

Chandrayaan-3: India's third moon mission aims to achieve soft lunar landing

<p>Ahead of the highly anticipated Chandrayaan-3 landing, scheduled to take place later this month, the&nbsp;Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday (August 10) shared a set of fresh images of the Moon and Earth captured by the lunar spacecraft.&nbsp;</p>

<p>One of the first images has been taken on July 14 when the mission was launched from the&nbsp;Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, located in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The first image shows Earth as viewed by the Lander Image Camera.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The second image, captured by Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera (LHVC) showed the craters Aristarchus, Eddington and Pythagoras along with one of the dark plains on the lunar surface&nbsp;Oceanus Procellarum.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Netizens applaud the pictures</strong></h2>

<p>Netizens and admirers of ISRO were truly awestruck by the images released and took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their happiness.<br />
<br />
"No Matter how far we venture into otherworldly realms, the allure of Earth's beauty remains unparalleled..," posted one while another added, "We've been waiting for this. Image of Earth from Lander and Moon. #ISRO #Chandrayaan3. Perhaps we were a bit too eager in our demands for photos from @isro. Proud to be witnessing this."</p>

<p>"Sending all my positive energy and heartfelt wishes to the incredible team behind Chandrayaan 3! You are true pioneers, and I believe in your courage and determination to achieve great things. Reach for the stars!," posted another.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-isro-releases-video-of-the-moon-captured-by-chandrayaan-3-as-it-enters-lunar-orbit-622908">ISRO releases video of the moon captured by Chandrayaan-3 as it enters lunar orbit</a></strong></p>

<h2><strong>ISRO chairman confident about landing&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>ISRO Chairman Dr S Somnath has assured that the Vikram lander will be able to make a soft landing on the Moon's surface, come August 23. He added that the landing is certain even if all the sensors and two of its engines do not work. The Vikram lander is expected to descend on the moon on August 23.</p>

<p>"If everything fails, if all the sensors fail, nothing works, still it (Vikram) will make a landing. That's how it has been designed -- provided that the propulsion system works well," Somnath told PTI.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/chandrayaan-3-now-within-moons-gravitational-orbit-india-isro-623261"><strong>Watch |&nbsp;Chandrayaan-3 now within moon's gravitational orbit | India | ISRO</strong></a></p>

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<p>Somnath&nbsp;said the mission's most critical phase will be the orbit determination process when the spacecraft starts moving closer to the moon from the 100 km circular orbit.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Up to 100 km we do not see any difficulty. The issues are only an estimation of the position of the lander accurately from Earth. This measurement is a very critical measurement, we call it the orbit determination process. If it is correct, the rest of the process can be done."&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

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Ahead of the highly anticipated Chandrayaan-3 landing, scheduled to take place later this month, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday (August 10) shared a set of fresh images of the Moon and Earth captured by the lunar spacecraft.

Ahead of the highly anticipated Chandrayaan-3 landing, scheduled to take place later this month, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday (August 10) shared a set of fresh images of the Moon and Earth captured by the lunar spacecraft. One of the first images has been taken on July 14 when the mission was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, located in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The first image shows Earth as viewed by the Lander Image Camera. The second image, captured by Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera (LHVC) showed the craters Aristarchus, Eddington and Pythagoras along with one of the dark plains on the lunar surface Oceanus Procellarum. Netizens applaud the pictures Netizens and admirers of ISRO were truly awestruck by the images released and took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their happiness. "No Matter how far we venture into otherworldly realms, the allure of Earth's beauty remains unparalleled..," posted one while another added, "We've been waiting for this. Image of Earth from Lander and Moon. #ISRO #Chandrayaan3. Perhaps we were a bit too eager in our demands for photos from @isro. Proud to be witnessing this." "Sending all my positive energy and heartfelt wishes to the incredible team behind Chandrayaan 3! You are true pioneers, and I believe in your courage and determination to achieve great things. Reach for the stars!," posted another. Also read: ISRO releases video of the moon captured by Chandrayaan-3 as it enters lunar orbit ISRO chairman confident about landing ISRO Chairman Dr S Somnath has assured that the Vikram lander will be able to make a soft landing on the Moon's surface, come August 23. He added that the landing is certain even if all the sensors and two of its engines do not work. The Vikram lander is expected to descend on the moon on August 23. "If everything fails, if all the sensors fail, nothing works, still it (Vikram) will make a landing. That's how it has been designed -- provided that the propulsion system works well," Somnath told PTI. Watch | Chandrayaan-3 now within moon's gravitational orbit | India | ISRO × Somnath said the mission's most critical phase will be the orbit determination process when the spacecraft starts moving closer to the moon from the 100 km circular orbit. "Up to 100 km we do not see any difficulty. The issues are only an estimation of the position of the lander accurately from Earth. This measurement is a very critical measurement, we call it the orbit determination process. If it is correct, the rest of the process can be done." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

ISRO releases majestic images of Earth and Moon captured by Chandrayaan-3

<p>The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath provided a big update on the Chandrayaan-3 mission on Tuesday (August 8) as he assured that Vikram lander will be able to make a soft-landing on the Moon's surface on August 23.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He claimed that the landing is certain even if all the sensors and two of its engines do not work. The Vikram lander is expected to descend on the moon on August 23.</p>

<p>Somnath was speaking during an interaction hosted by the non-profit organisation Disha Bharat, as he said that the design of the lander is such that it would be able to handle failures. The interaction was on the topic — 'Chandrayaan-3: Bharat's Pride Space Mission'.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/chandrayaan-3-completes-maiden-orbit-reduction-gets-closer-to-lunar-surface-622945">Chandrayaan-3 completes maiden orbit reduction, gets closer to Lunar surface</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>Somanath said: "If everything fails, if all the sensors fail, nothing works, still it (Vikram) will make a landing. That's how it has been designed -- provided that the propulsion system works well."&nbsp;</p>

<p>The mission was launched on July 14 by the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 rocket. It is now placed in a 170 km by 4,313 km elliptical orbit around the moon and a series of manoeuvres are planned for August 9 and 17 to place it in a 100 km circular orbit.&nbsp;</p>

<p>ISRO chief said on Monday that India's third lunar mission "Chandrayaan-3" is in good health. He said that its most critical phase will be the orbit determination process when the spacecraft starts moving closer to the moon from the 100 km circular orbit.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-isro-releases-video-of-the-moon-captured-by-chandrayaan-3-as-it-enters-lunar-orbit-622908">ISRO releases video of the moon captured by Chandrayaan-3 as it enters lunar orbit</a></strong></p>

<p>Somanath told PTI: "Up to 100 km we do not see any difficulty. The issues are only an estimation of the position of the lander accurately from Earth. This measurement is a very critical measurement, we call it the orbit determination process. If it is correct, the rest of the process can be done."&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We are able to bring it down very correctly this time. The orbit changes are happening as planned. There is no deviation. So, it shows excellent results and we are hoping that all will be fine," the ISRO chairman added.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath provided a big update on the Chandrayaan-3 mission on Tuesday (August 8) as he assured that Vikram lander will be able to make a soft-landing on the Moon's surface on August 23.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath provided a big update on the Chandrayaan-3 mission on Tuesday (August 8) as he assured that Vikram lander will be able to make a soft-landing on the Moon's surface on August 23. He claimed that the landing is certain even if all the sensors and two of its engines do not work. The Vikram lander is expected to descend on the moon on August 23. Somnath was speaking during an interaction hosted by the non-profit organisation Disha Bharat, as he said that the design of the lander is such that it would be able to handle failures. The interaction was on the topic — 'Chandrayaan-3: Bharat's Pride Space Mission'. Also read: Chandrayaan-3 completes maiden orbit reduction, gets closer to Lunar surface Somanath said: "If everything fails, if all the sensors fail, nothing works, still it (Vikram) will make a landing. That's how it has been designed -- provided that the propulsion system works well." The mission was launched on July 14 by the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 rocket. It is now placed in a 170 km by 4,313 km elliptical orbit around the moon and a series of manoeuvres are planned for August 9 and 17 to place it in a 100 km circular orbit. ISRO chief said on Monday that India's third lunar mission "Chandrayaan-3" is in good health. He said that its most critical phase will be the orbit determination process when the spacecraft starts moving closer to the moon from the 100 km circular orbit. Also read: ISRO releases video of the moon captured by Chandrayaan-3 as it enters lunar orbit Somanath told PTI: "Up to 100 km we do not see any difficulty. The issues are only an estimation of the position of the lander accurately from Earth. This measurement is a very critical measurement, we call it the orbit determination process. If it is correct, the rest of the process can be done." "We are able to bring it down very correctly this time. The orbit changes are happening as planned. There is no deviation. So, it shows excellent results and we are hoping that all will be fine," the ISRO chairman added. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

'If everything fails...': ISRO chief's BIG comment on Chandrayaan-3 landing on August 23

<p>India's third lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-3&nbsp;has successfully completed its second Lunar orbit reduction. This is a process of firing the spacecraft's engines, in a manner that would slow down the craft and bring it into an orbit that's closer to the moon.</p>

<p>The firing carried out between 1-2 pm Wednesday, August 9 (Indian Standard Time), reduced the craft's orbit from 170 km x 4313 km to 174 km x 1437 km. This Lunar orbit reduction is part of a gradual process that will eventually lead the craft to the Lunar soft landing that is scheduled for 23rd August.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Even closer to the moon’s surface. Chandrayaan-3's orbit is reduced to 174 km x 1437 km following a manoeuvre performed today. The next operation is scheduled for August 14, 2023, between 11:30 and 12:30 Hrs IST," ISRO said in a tweet.</p>

<p>"When the satellite is circling around the moon, a command is issued to re-orient the craft by 180 degrees. This re-orientation will ensure that the craft's engine(s) can be used as a brake. Such engine firings are known as retro-firings. In retro-firing, the engine is not pushing the craft forward. Instead, it is pushing the craft in a direction opposite to its original direction of movement and it will slow down the craft," Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai, Former Director of ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Centre, explained to WION.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wagner-reaping-benefits-from-instability-in-niger-says-us-state-secretary-antony-blinken-623660">Wagner reaping benefits from instability in Niger, says US State Secretary Antony Blinken</a></p>

<p>When the craft was circling the earth, commands were issued to fire the engines and push the craft further away from the earth (orbit raising manoeuvres). In those cases, the engine was fired to propel the craft forward and impart more velocity to it. In a retro-firing (opposite firing), the engine firing is done in an opposite direction and thereby reduces the velocity of the craft and lowers its orbit. These are the fundamental differences between orbit raising manoeuvres and orbit reduction manoeuvres.</p>

<p>ISRO intends to perform two more Lunar orbit reduction burns (retro-firings) of the craft. The next retro-firing, which is also the third such would be carried out on 14th August between 11:30 and 12:30 noon (IST). The final and fourth retro-firing to reduce the orbit is expected on 16th August.</p>

<p>Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/man-gets-furious-and-locks-ex-colleagues-at-former-workplace-after-being-fired-from-job-623655">Man gets furious and locks ex-colleagues at former workplace after being fired from job</a></p>

<h2>The journey so far...&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</h2>

<p>Chandrayaan-3 was launched on 14th July from India's spaceport, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Sixteen minutes from lift-off, the craft was placed in a highly elliptical orbit around the earth. Thereafter, by performing five engine burns on as many occasions, the craft gradually raised its orbit and slingshot itself further away from Earth, while continuing to remain in Earth's orbit.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On the intervening night of 31st July and 1st August, Chandrayaan-3 performed its Trans-Lunar injection burn. By this long-duration firing of its engines, the craft was pushed out of Earth's gravitational influence and hurled towards Lunar gravitational influence.</p>

<p><strong>Watch | Nepal initiates investigation against former Prime Ministers</strong></p>

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<p>On 6th August, the spacecraft performed its maiden Lunar orbit reduction manoeuvre.</p>

<h2>The journey ahead...&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</h2>

<p>ISRO has said that the craft's next operation would be the third reduction of orbit around the moon. It is scheduled for August 14th at noon, ISRO said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"When the lander separates from the propulsion module(on August 17th), the craft will be in a 100x100km&nbsp;circular orbit around the moon. The craft would be in that orbit for 4-5 days and we would use that period to test the crucial systems, and sensors that would be used for the lunar landing(because this is the first time we would be testing them in space)," M. Sankaran, Director of ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Centre, had told WION.</p>

<p>Thereafter, the craft would be brought to 100x30km&nbsp;orbit and then a process of Rough braking, Attitude hold, Fine braking, and velocity reduction would be carried out, in the run-up to lunar landing. ISRO has planned the Lunar landing at 5:47 pm Indian Standard Time, on August 23.</p>

<h2>Objectives of Chandrayaan-3...&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>

<p>India's 3rd Lunar spacecraft comprises a propulsion module, lander and rover. The combined mass of them is 3.9 tons. The key goal of the craft is to perform a lunar soft-landing and perform in-situ analysis near 70 degrees latitude of the Lunar surface. The mission is expected to last 14 earth days or one lunar day, during which the six-wheeled rover and the lander will perform their respective experiments.&nbsp;</p>

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India's third lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 has successfully completed its second Lunar orbit reduction. This is a process of firing the spacecraft's engines, in a manner that would slow down the craft and bring it into an orbit that's closer to the moon.

India's third lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 has successfully completed its second Lunar orbit reduction. This is a process of firing the spacecraft's engines, in a manner that would slow down the craft and bring it into an orbit that's closer to the moon. The firing carried out between 1-2 pm Wednesday, August 9 (Indian Standard Time), reduced the craft's orbit from 170 km x 4313 km to 174 km x 1437 km. This Lunar orbit reduction is part of a gradual process that will eventually lead the craft to the Lunar soft landing that is scheduled for 23rd August. "Even closer to the moon’s surface. Chandrayaan-3's orbit is reduced to 174 km x 1437 km following a manoeuvre performed today. The next operation is scheduled for August 14, 2023, between 11:30 and 12:30 Hrs IST," ISRO said in a tweet. "When the satellite is circling around the moon, a command is issued to re-orient the craft by 180 degrees. This re-orientation will ensure that the craft's engine(s) can be used as a brake. Such engine firings are known as retro-firings. In retro-firing, the engine is not pushing the craft forward. Instead, it is pushing the craft in a direction opposite to its original direction of movement and it will slow down the craft," Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai, Former Director of ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Centre, explained to WION. Also Read | Wagner reaping benefits from instability in Niger, says US State Secretary Antony Blinken When the craft was circling the earth, commands were issued to fire the engines and push the craft further away from the earth (orbit raising manoeuvres). In those cases, the engine was fired to propel the craft forward and impart more velocity to it. In a retro-firing (opposite firing), the engine firing is done in an opposite direction and thereby reduces the velocity of the craft and lowers its orbit. These are the fundamental differences between orbit raising manoeuvres and orbit reduction manoeuvres. ISRO intends to perform two more Lunar orbit reduction burns (retro-firings) of the craft. The next retro-firing, which is also the third such would be carried out on 14th August between 11:30 and 12:30 noon (IST). The final and fourth retro-firing to reduce the orbit is expected on 16th August. Also Read | Man gets furious and locks ex-colleagues at former workplace after being fired from job The journey so far... Chandrayaan-3 was launched on 14th July from India's spaceport, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Sixteen minutes from lift-off, the craft was placed in a highly elliptical orbit around the earth. Thereafter, by performing five engine burns on as many occasions, the craft gradually raised its orbit and slingshot itself further away from Earth, while continuing to remain in Earth's orbit. On the intervening night of 31st July and 1st August, Chandrayaan-3 performed its Trans-Lunar injection burn. By this long-duration firing of its engines, the craft was pushed out of Earth's gravitational influence and hurled towards Lunar gravitational influence. Watch | Nepal initiates investigation against former Prime Ministers × On 6th August, the spacecraft performed its maiden Lunar orbit reduction manoeuvre. The journey ahead... ISRO has said that the craft's next operation would be the third reduction of orbit around the moon. It is scheduled for August 14th at noon, ISRO said. "When the lander separates from the propulsion module(on August 17th), the craft will be in a 100x100km circular orbit around the moon. The craft would be in that orbit for 4-5 days and we would use that period to test the crucial systems, and sensors that would be used for the lunar landing(because this is the first time we would be testing them in space)," M. Sankaran, Director of ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Centre, had told WION. Thereafter, the craft would be brought to 100x30km orbit and then a process of Rough braking, Attitude hold, Fine braking, and velocity reduction would be carried out, in the run-up to lunar landing. ISRO has planned the Lunar landing at 5:47 pm Indian Standard Time, on August 23. Objectives of Chandrayaan-3... India's 3rd Lunar spacecraft comprises a propulsion module, lander and rover. The combined mass of them is 3.9 tons. The key goal of the craft is to perform a lunar soft-landing and perform in-situ analysis near 70 degrees latitude of the Lunar surface. The mission is expected to last 14 earth days or one lunar day, during which the six-wheeled rover and the lander will perform their respective experiments. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. ×

India's Chandrayaan-3 performs second Lunar orbit reduction

The lunar orbit of Chandrayaan-3 has been successfully entered. According to ISRO, the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) directed a retro-burning towards the Perilune. The spacecraft's closest approach to the moon is at Perilune.

Chandrayaan-3 moon landing on this date

Chandrayaan-3 now within moon's gravitational orbit | India | ISRO

<p>In the late hours of Sunday (around 11:00 pm Indian Standard Time), the Indian Space Agency pushed its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft closer to the Lunar surface. This is part of a gradual process that will eventually lead the craft to the Lunar soft landing that is scheduled for August 23.</p>

<p>Since undergoing the Lunar orbit insertion in the evening hours of Saturday and starting to circle the moon, this is the first time that the craft's Lunar orbit is being reduced. Since Saturday, the craft has been in a 164 km x 18074 km orbit around the moon.&nbsp;With the engine firing done on Sunday night, the craft's orbit has been lowered to 170 km x 4313 km.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The spacecraft successfully underwent a planned orbit reduction manoeuvre. The retro-firing of engines brought it closer to the Moon's surface, now to 170 km x 4313 km. The next operation to further reduce the orbit is scheduled for August 9, 2023, between 13:00 and 14:00 Hrs. IST." ISRO said in a tweet.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |</strong> <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-isro-releases-video-of-the-moon-captured-by-chandrayaan-3-as-it-enters-lunar-orbit-622908">ISRO releases video of the moon captured by Chandrayaan-3 as it enters lunar orbit</a></p>

<h2>The journey so far...</h2>

<p>Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14 from India's spaceport, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Sixteen minutes from lift-off, the craft was placed in a highly elliptical orbit around the Earth. Thereafter, by performing five engine burns on as many occasions, the craft gradually raised its orbit and slingshot itself further away from Earth, while continuing to remain in Earth's orbit.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On the intervening night of July 31 and August 1, Chandrayaan-3 performed its Trans-Lunar injection burn. By this long-duration firing of its engines, the craft was pushed&nbsp;out of Earth's gravitational influence and hurled towards Lunar gravitational influence.&nbsp;"By firing its engines for the TLI, the craft gained departure velocity and set course from the earth orbit towards a location in the vicinity of the moon," Dr Mylswamy Annadurai, former Director of ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Centre, had told WION.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>The journey that lay ahead...</h2>

<p>ISRO has said that the craft's next operation would be the second reduction of orbit around the moon. It is scheduled for August 9, around&nbsp;1-2 pm IST. Just like ISRO slingshot the craft away from earth by performing multiple engine firings, a similar process would be carried out for the reverse effect. Engine retro firings would be done to bring the craft closer to the lunar surface and eventually into a circular orbit around the moon.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"When the lander separates from the propulsion module, the craft will be in a 100x100kms circular orbit around the moon. The craft would be in that orbit for 4-5 days and we would use that period to test the crucial systems and sensors that would be used for the lunar landing (because this is the first time we would be testing them in space)," M Sankaran, Director of ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Centre, had told WION.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH |&nbsp;Chandrayaan-3 is steadily heading towards the moon</strong></p>

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<p>Thereafter, the craft would be brought to 100x30 km orbit, and then a process of Rough braking, Attitude hold, Fine braking, and velocity reduction would be carried out, in the run-up to the lunar landing. ISRO has planned the Lunar landing at 5:47 pm Indian Standard Time, on August 23.</p>

<h2>Objectives of Chandrayaan-3...</h2>

<p>India's 3<sup>rd</sup>&nbsp;Lunar spacecraft comprises a propulsion module, lander and rover. The combined mass of them is 3.9 tonnes. The key goal of the craft is to perform a lunar soft-landing and perform in-situ analysis near 70 degrees latitude of the Lunar surface. The mission is expected to last 14 earth days or one lunar day, during which the six-wheeled rover and the lander will perform their respective experiments.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

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In the late hours of Sunday (around 11:00 pm Indian Standard Time), the Indian Space Agency pushed its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft closer to the Lunar surface. This is part of a gradual process that will eventually lead the craft to the Lunar soft landing that is scheduled for August 23.

In the late hours of Sunday (around 11:00 pm Indian Standard Time), the Indian Space Agency pushed its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft closer to the Lunar surface. This is part of a gradual process that will eventually lead the craft to the Lunar soft landing that is scheduled for August 23. Since undergoing the Lunar orbit insertion in the evening hours of Saturday and starting to circle the moon, this is the first time that the craft's Lunar orbit is being reduced. Since Saturday, the craft has been in a 164 km x 18074 km orbit around the moon. With the engine firing done on Sunday night, the craft's orbit has been lowered to 170 km x 4313 km. "The spacecraft successfully underwent a planned orbit reduction manoeuvre. The retro-firing of engines brought it closer to the Moon's surface, now to 170 km x 4313 km. The next operation to further reduce the orbit is scheduled for August 9, 2023, between 13:00 and 14:00 Hrs. IST." ISRO said in a tweet. ALSO READ | ISRO releases video of the moon captured by Chandrayaan-3 as it enters lunar orbit The journey so far... Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14 from India's spaceport, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Sixteen minutes from lift-off, the craft was placed in a highly elliptical orbit around the Earth. Thereafter, by performing five engine burns on as many occasions, the craft gradually raised its orbit and slingshot itself further away from Earth, while continuing to remain in Earth's orbit. On the intervening night of July 31 and August 1, Chandrayaan-3 performed its Trans-Lunar injection burn. By this long-duration firing of its engines, the craft was pushed out of Earth's gravitational influence and hurled towards Lunar gravitational influence. "By firing its engines for the TLI, the craft gained departure velocity and set course from the earth orbit towards a location in the vicinity of the moon," Dr Mylswamy Annadurai, former Director of ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Centre, had told WION. The journey that lay ahead... ISRO has said that the craft's next operation would be the second reduction of orbit around the moon. It is scheduled for August 9, around 1-2 pm IST. Just like ISRO slingshot the craft away from earth by performing multiple engine firings, a similar process would be carried out for the reverse effect. Engine retro firings would be done to bring the craft closer to the lunar surface and eventually into a circular orbit around the moon. "When the lander separates from the propulsion module, the craft will be in a 100x100kms circular orbit around the moon. The craft would be in that orbit for 4-5 days and we would use that period to test the crucial systems and sensors that would be used for the lunar landing (because this is the first time we would be testing them in space)," M Sankaran, Director of ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Centre, had told WION. WATCH | Chandrayaan-3 is steadily heading towards the moon Thereafter, the craft would be brought to 100x30 km orbit, and then a process of Rough braking, Attitude hold, Fine braking, and velocity reduction would be carried out, in the run-up to the lunar landing. ISRO has planned the Lunar landing at 5:47 pm Indian Standard Time, on August 23. Objectives of Chandrayaan-3... India's 3rd Lunar spacecraft comprises a propulsion module, lander and rover. The combined mass of them is 3.9 tonnes. The key goal of the craft is to perform a lunar soft-landing and perform in-situ analysis near 70 degrees latitude of the Lunar surface. The mission is expected to last 14 earth days or one lunar day, during which the six-wheeled rover and the lander will perform their respective experiments. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Chandrayaan-3 completes maiden orbit reduction, gets closer to Lunar surface

All eyes are on India's third lunar space mission. The Moon is not far as India's lunar mission is on track a day after Chandrayaan-3 successfully entered the moon's orbit the next stage is the reduction of the orbit which is scheduled to happen on Sunday at around 11 pm according to India's Standard Time.

Chandrayaan-3: First images of moon as captured by Chandrayaan-3 during lunar orbit

<p>Having travelled a distance of nearly 3.84 lakh kilometres over a period of 20 days in space, India's third Lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 has been captured by the Lunar gravity. At present, the craft is circling the moon in a highly-elliptical orbit. In a circular orbit, a spacecraft constantly remains at a certain distance from the body that it is orbiting. However, in a highly elliptical orbit, the craft circles the celestial body (moon, in this case) where its distance from the body varies drastically.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is a significant milestone for the Indian space programme, that all Indian Lunar crafts Chandrayaan-1 (2008), Chandrayaan-2 (2019) and the ongoing Chandrayaan-3, have flawlessly entered into an orbit around the moon.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

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<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chandrayaan-3 Mission:<br />
“MOX, ISTRAC, this is Chandrayaan-3. I am feeling lunar gravity 🌖”<br />
🙂<br />
<br />
Chandrayaan-3 has been successfully inserted into the lunar orbit.<br />
<br />
A retro-burning at the Perilune was commanded from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX), ISTRAC, Bengaluru.<br />
<br />
The next… <a href="https://t.co/6T5acwiEGb">pic.twitter.com/6T5acwiEGb</a></p>
— ISRO (@isro) <a href="https://twitter.com/isro/status/1687829587018100736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<p>“MOX, ISTRAC, this is Chandrayaan-3. I am feeling lunar gravity,” ISRO said on X, formerly known as Twitter, indicating that Chandrayaan-3 is under the moon's gravitational influence. Chandrayaan-3 has been successfully inserted into the lunar orbit, the Indian space agency added. The craft has been captured by Lunar gravity after it performed what is known as a Lunar Orbit Insertion manoeuvre.</p>

<p>"During the Lunar orbit insertion, the craft will reach the vicinity of the moon and within the Lunar gravitational influence. Thereafter, it would fire its on-board engines to slow itself down and get captured into Lunar orbit. Then, it would begin to circle the moon in a highly-elliptical orbit," Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai explained to WION. Having contributed majorly towards India's maiden Lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 as its Project Director, Dr. Annadurai earned the moniker 'Moon Man of India'. He had retired from ISRO as the Director of UR Rao Satellite Centre.</p>

<h2><strong>The journey so far...&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </strong></h2>

<p>Chandrayaan-3 was launched on 14&nbsp;July from India's spaceport, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Sixteen minutes from the lift-off, the craft was placed in a highly elliptical orbit around the earth. Thereafter, by performing five engine burns, the craft raised its orbit on five occasions and slingshot itself further away from Earth, while continuing to remain in Earth's orbit.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the intervening night of 31st July and 1st August, Chandrayaan-3 performed its Trans-Lunar injection burn. This was a long-duration firing of its engines and it pushed the craft out of Earth's gravitational pull and towards Lunar gravitational influence. "By firing its engines for the TLI, the craft gained departure velocity and set course from the earth orbit towards a location in the vicinity of the moon," Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai had told WION.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>The journey ahead...&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>ISRO has said that the craft's next operation would be the maiden reduction of orbit around the moon. It is scheduled for August 6th 2023, around 23:00hrs IST, ISRO said. Just like ISRO slingshot the craft away from earth by performing multiple engine firings, the same process would be carried out for the reverse effect. Engine firings would be done to bring the craft closer to the lunar surface and eventually into a circular orbit around the moon.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"When the lander separates from the propulsion module, the craft will be in a 100x100kms circular orbit around the moon. The craft would be in that orbit for 4-5 days and we would use that period to test the crucial systems, sensors that would be used for the lunar landing (because, this is the first time we would be testing them in space)." M.Sankaran, Director of ISRO's UR Rao satellite Centre, had told WION.</p>

<p>Thereafter, the craft would be brought to 100x30kms orbit and then a process of Rough braking, Attitude hold, Fine braking, velocity reduction would be carried out, in the run-up to the lunar landing. ISRO has planned the Lunar landing at 5:47 pm Indian Standard Time, on 23rd August.</p>

<h2><strong>Objectives of Chandrayaan-3...&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>India's 3rd Lunar spacecraft comprises a propulsion module, lander and rover. The combined mass of them is 3.9 tonnes. The key goal of the craft is to perform a lunar soft-landing and perform in-situ analysis near 70 degrees latitude of the Lunar surface. The mission is expected to last 14 earth days or one lunar day, during which the six-wheeled rover and the lander will perform their respective experiments.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
&nbsp;</p>

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Having travelled a distance of nearly 3.84 lakh kilometres over a period of 20 days in space, India's third Lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 has been captured by the Lunar gravity.

Having travelled a distance of nearly 3.84 lakh kilometres over a period of 20 days in space, India's third Lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 has been captured by the Lunar gravity. At present, the craft is circling the moon in a highly-elliptical orbit. In a circular orbit, a spacecraft constantly remains at a certain distance from the body that it is orbiting. However, in a highly elliptical orbit, the craft circles the celestial body (moon, in this case) where its distance from the body varies drastically. It is a significant milestone for the Indian space programme, that all Indian Lunar crafts Chandrayaan-1 (2008), Chandrayaan-2 (2019) and the ongoing Chandrayaan-3, have flawlessly entered into an orbit around the moon. Chandrayaan-3 Mission: “MOX, ISTRAC, this is Chandrayaan-3. I am feeling lunar gravity 🌖” 🙂 Chandrayaan-3 has been successfully inserted into the lunar orbit. A retro-burning at the Perilune was commanded from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX), ISTRAC, Bengaluru. The next… pic.twitter.com/6T5acwiEGb — ISRO (@isro) August 5, 2023 × “MOX, ISTRAC, this is Chandrayaan-3. I am feeling lunar gravity,” ISRO said on X, formerly known as Twitter, indicating that Chandrayaan-3 is under the moon's gravitational influence. Chandrayaan-3 has been successfully inserted into the lunar orbit, the Indian space agency added. The craft has been captured by Lunar gravity after it performed what is known as a Lunar Orbit Insertion manoeuvre. "During the Lunar orbit insertion, the craft will reach the vicinity of the moon and within the Lunar gravitational influence. Thereafter, it would fire its on-board engines to slow itself down and get captured into Lunar orbit. Then, it would begin to circle the moon in a highly-elliptical orbit," Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai explained to WION. Having contributed majorly towards India's maiden Lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 as its Project Director, Dr. Annadurai earned the moniker 'Moon Man of India'. He had retired from ISRO as the Director of UR Rao Satellite Centre. The journey so far... Chandrayaan-3 was launched on 14 July from India's spaceport, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Sixteen minutes from the lift-off, the craft was placed in a highly elliptical orbit around the earth. Thereafter, by performing five engine burns, the craft raised its orbit on five occasions and slingshot itself further away from Earth, while continuing to remain in Earth's orbit. In the intervening night of 31st July and 1st August, Chandrayaan-3 performed its Trans-Lunar injection burn. This was a long-duration firing of its engines and it pushed the craft out of Earth's gravitational pull and towards Lunar gravitational influence. "By firing its engines for the TLI, the craft gained departure velocity and set course from the earth orbit towards a location in the vicinity of the moon," Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai had told WION. The journey ahead... ISRO has said that the craft's next operation would be the maiden reduction of orbit around the moon. It is scheduled for August 6th 2023, around 23:00hrs IST, ISRO said. Just like ISRO slingshot the craft away from earth by performing multiple engine firings, the same process would be carried out for the reverse effect. Engine firings would be done to bring the craft closer to the lunar surface and eventually into a circular orbit around the moon. "When the lander separates from the propulsion module, the craft will be in a 100x100kms circular orbit around the moon. The craft would be in that orbit for 4-5 days and we would use that period to test the crucial systems, sensors that would be used for the lunar landing (because, this is the first time we would be testing them in space)." M.Sankaran, Director of ISRO's UR Rao satellite Centre, had told WION. Thereafter, the craft would be brought to 100x30kms orbit and then a process of Rough braking, Attitude hold, Fine braking, velocity reduction would be carried out, in the run-up to the lunar landing. ISRO has planned the Lunar landing at 5:47 pm Indian Standard Time, on 23rd August. Objectives of Chandrayaan-3... India's 3rd Lunar spacecraft comprises a propulsion module, lander and rover. The combined mass of them is 3.9 tonnes. The key goal of the craft is to perform a lunar soft-landing and perform in-situ analysis near 70 degrees latitude of the Lunar surface. The mission is expected to last 14 earth days or one lunar day, during which the six-wheeled rover and the lander will perform their respective experiments. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

With Chandrayaan-3 entering Lunar orbit, all Indian Lunar crafts have circled the moon

<p>India's third Lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 has covered 2/3rd the distance to the moon and is expected to be captured by the Lunar gravitational influence by 7:00pm (IST), Saturday evening. The next crucial manoeuvre for the craft will be a Lunar Orbit Insertion, where the craft gets captured by Lunar gravitational influence and begins to orbit the moon. "The (Chandrayaan-3) spacecraft has covered about two-thirds of the distance to the moon. Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI) set for Aug 5, 2023, around 19:00 Hrs. IST," ISRO tweeted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the late hours of July 31st, the craft performed Trans-Lunar injection (TLI), a long-duration firing of its engines and began a journey that pushed it out of Earth's gravitational influence and towards Lunar gravitational influence. "By firing its engines for the TLI, the craft gained departure velocity and set course from the earth orbit towards a location in the vicinity of the moon. At present, the craft is travelling from Earth to the vicinity of the moon and at the designated time it will rendezvous with the moon," Dr Mylswamy Annadurai (Retd), Former Director of India's UR Rao Satellite Centre, told WION.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/spacecraft-mission-operations-the-science-thats-steering-chandrayaan-3-to-the-moon-622124">Explained | Spacecraft Mission Operations, the science that's steering Chandrayaan-3 to the Moon</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>Explaining the upcoming Lunar Orbit insertion, he said, "During the Lunar orbit insertion, the craft will reach the vicinity of the moon and within the Lunar gravitational influence. Thereafter, it would fire its onboard engines to slow itself down and get captured into Lunar orbit. Then, it would begin to circle the moon in a highly-elliptical orbit". Having contributed majorly towards India's maiden Lunar mission Chandrayaan-1, as its Project Director, Dr Annadurai earned the moniker 'Moon Man of India'.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Initially, to escape from Earth orbit, Chandrayaan-3 sequentially slingshot itself into orbits farther and farther from the Earth and eventually performed the TLI burn. After being captured in Lunar orbit on Saturday, the craft would perform engine burns that would get it into orbits that gradually move closer to the moon. This is a process followed in preparation for the eventual Lunar soft-landing that ISRO has planned for 23rd August at 5:47pm (IST) Indian standard time.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/what-is-lunar-codex-unique-project-sending-digitised-work-of-30000-artists-on-moon-621629">What is Lunar Codex? Unique project sending digitised work of 30,000 artists to moon</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>Chandrayaan-3 is expected to make a soft landing near the Lunar south pole at around 70 degrees latitude. Performing a successful Lunar soft landing would make India the fourth nation to do so, after Russia, the USA and China. The 3.9ton Lunar spacecraft was launched into earth orbit on 14th July, by India's heaviest rocket LVM3 and marked the seventh successive successful flight of the rocket. The Chandrayaan-3 Lunar lander (including rover) weighs 1750kgs, whereas the rover weighs 26kgs. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft carries a total of six payloads that are mounted on the propulsion module, the lander and the rover.</p>

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India's third Lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 has covered 2/3rd the distance to the moon and is expected to be captured by the Lunar gravitational influence by 7:00pm (IST), Saturday evening.

India's third Lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 has covered 2/3rd the distance to the moon and is expected to be captured by the Lunar gravitational influence by 7:00pm (IST), Saturday evening. The next crucial manoeuvre for the craft will be a Lunar Orbit Insertion, where the craft gets captured by Lunar gravitational influence and begins to orbit the moon. "The (Chandrayaan-3) spacecraft has covered about two-thirds of the distance to the moon. Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI) set for Aug 5, 2023, around 19:00 Hrs. IST," ISRO tweeted. In the late hours of July 31st, the craft performed Trans-Lunar injection (TLI), a long-duration firing of its engines and began a journey that pushed it out of Earth's gravitational influence and towards Lunar gravitational influence. "By firing its engines for the TLI, the craft gained departure velocity and set course from the earth orbit towards a location in the vicinity of the moon. At present, the craft is travelling from Earth to the vicinity of the moon and at the designated time it will rendezvous with the moon," Dr Mylswamy Annadurai (Retd), Former Director of India's UR Rao Satellite Centre, told WION. Also read: Explained | Spacecraft Mission Operations, the science that's steering Chandrayaan-3 to the Moon Explaining the upcoming Lunar Orbit insertion, he said, "During the Lunar orbit insertion, the craft will reach the vicinity of the moon and within the Lunar gravitational influence. Thereafter, it would fire its onboard engines to slow itself down and get captured into Lunar orbit. Then, it would begin to circle the moon in a highly-elliptical orbit". Having contributed majorly towards India's maiden Lunar mission Chandrayaan-1, as its Project Director, Dr Annadurai earned the moniker 'Moon Man of India'. Initially, to escape from Earth orbit, Chandrayaan-3 sequentially slingshot itself into orbits farther and farther from the Earth and eventually performed the TLI burn. After being captured in Lunar orbit on Saturday, the craft would perform engine burns that would get it into orbits that gradually move closer to the moon. This is a process followed in preparation for the eventual Lunar soft-landing that ISRO has planned for 23rd August at 5:47pm (IST) Indian standard time. Also read: What is Lunar Codex? Unique project sending digitised work of 30,000 artists to moon Chandrayaan-3 is expected to make a soft landing near the Lunar south pole at around 70 degrees latitude. Performing a successful Lunar soft landing would make India the fourth nation to do so, after Russia, the USA and China. The 3.9ton Lunar spacecraft was launched into earth orbit on 14th July, by India's heaviest rocket LVM3 and marked the seventh successive successful flight of the rocket. The Chandrayaan-3 Lunar lander (including rover) weighs 1750kgs, whereas the rover weighs 26kgs. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft carries a total of six payloads that are mounted on the propulsion module, the lander and the rover. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Chandrayaan-3 in final approach to lunar orbit, covers two-third distance to Moon

<p>India’s third moon mission’s spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3, is one step closer to a lunar landing after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), announced that it has successfully entered the moon’s orbit, on Saturday (August 5).&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 mission update</strong></h2>

<p>The announcement was made by the Indian space agency on X, formerly known as Twitter where it wrote: “‘MOX, ISTRAC, this is Chandrayaan-3. I am feeling lunar gravity’. Chandrayaan-3 has been successfully inserted into the lunar orbit.”</p>

<p>It added, “A retro-burning at the Perilune was commanded from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX), ISTRAC, Bengaluru. The next operation - reduction of orbit – is scheduled for Aug 6, 2023, around 23:00 Hrs. IST.”</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chandrayaan-3 Mission:<br />
“MOX, ISTRAC, this is Chandrayaan-3. I am feeling lunar gravity 🌖”<br />
🙂<br />
<br />
Chandrayaan-3 has been successfully inserted into the lunar orbit.<br />
<br />
A retro-burning at the Perilune was commanded from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX), ISTRAC, Bengaluru.<br />
<br />
The next… <a href="https://t.co/6T5acwiEGb">pic.twitter.com/6T5acwiEGb</a></p>
— ISRO (@isro) <a href="https://twitter.com/isro/status/1687829587018100736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>The step marks the completion of a critical manoeuvre Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI), with this, Chandrayaan 3 has been successfully inserted into a lunar orbit. The next lunar bound orbit manoeuvre is scheduled for tomorrow (August 6) around 11:00 pm (local time), said ISRO.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The health of spacecraft is constantly being monitored by the MOX, at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in the Indian city of Bengaluru. ISRO reported that all systems are healthy.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI)</strong></h2>

<p>In the late hours of July 31, the craft performed Trans-Lunar injection (TLI), a long-duration firing of its engines and began a journey that pushed it out of Earth’s gravitational influence and towards Lunar gravitational influence.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Speaking to WION about the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI), Dr Mylswamy Annadurai (Retd), Former Director of India’s UR Rao Satellite Centre, said “During the Lunar orbit insertion, the craft will reach the vicinity of the moon and within the Lunar gravitational influence. Thereafter, it would fire its onboard engines to slow itself down and get captured into Lunar orbit. Then, it would begin to circle the moon in a highly-elliptical orbit.”&nbsp;</p>

<p>During the first weeks of August, the spacecraft is set to complete five to six orbits around the moon before a precise landing site on the moon’s south pole area is determined.<br />
<br />
In this crucial operation, the spacecraft’s velocity was reduced, 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 further manoeuvres planned to gradually decrease its altitude in the following days.</p>

<h2><strong>About the Chandrayaan-3 mission</strong></h2>

<p>Chandrayaan-3 is expected to make a soft landing near the Lunar south pole at around 70 degrees latitude. Performing a successful Lunar soft landing would make India the fourth nation to do so, after Russia, the United States and China.&nbsp;</p>

<p>ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 is meant to land a few hundred kilometres away from the Moon’s south pole – a region that has also largely remained unexplored, owing to the near-nil sunlight illumination there. However, it is believed that many mysteries of the Moon could be unravelled by performing in-situ probing of this region.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 14 July, 2023, aboard the LVM-3 rocket, Chandrayaan-3 has covered over three lakh kilometres between Earth and Moon. It had completed its orbits around the Earth on August 1 when it embarked on its trans-lunar journey.<br />
<br />
ISRO scientists now have to demonstrate the capability for a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, following the challenges faced during the Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019.<br />
<br />
<em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em><br />
&nbsp;</p>

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India’s third moon mission’s spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3, is one step closer to a lunar landing after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), announced that it has successfully entered the moon’s orbit, on Saturday (August 5).

India’s third moon mission’s spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3, is one step closer to a lunar landing after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), announced that it has successfully entered the moon’s orbit, on Saturday (August 5). ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 mission update The announcement was made by the Indian space agency on X, formerly known as Twitter where it wrote: “‘MOX, ISTRAC, this is Chandrayaan-3. I am feeling lunar gravity’. Chandrayaan-3 has been successfully inserted into the lunar orbit.” It added, “A retro-burning at the Perilune was commanded from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX), ISTRAC, Bengaluru. The next operation - reduction of orbit – is scheduled for Aug 6, 2023, around 23:00 Hrs. IST.” Chandrayaan-3 Mission: “MOX, ISTRAC, this is Chandrayaan-3. I am feeling lunar gravity 🌖” 🙂 Chandrayaan-3 has been successfully inserted into the lunar orbit. A retro-burning at the Perilune was commanded from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX), ISTRAC, Bengaluru. The next… pic.twitter.com/6T5acwiEGb — ISRO (@isro) August 5, 2023 × The step marks the completion of a critical manoeuvre Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI), with this, Chandrayaan 3 has been successfully inserted into a lunar orbit. The next lunar bound orbit manoeuvre is scheduled for tomorrow (August 6) around 11:00 pm (local time), said ISRO. The health of spacecraft is constantly being monitored by the MOX, at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in the Indian city of Bengaluru. ISRO reported that all systems are healthy. Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI) In the late hours of July 31, the craft performed Trans-Lunar injection (TLI), a long-duration firing of its engines and began a journey that pushed it out of Earth’s gravitational influence and towards Lunar gravitational influence. Speaking to WION about the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI), Dr Mylswamy Annadurai (Retd), Former Director of India’s UR Rao Satellite Centre, said “During the Lunar orbit insertion, the craft will reach the vicinity of the moon and within the Lunar gravitational influence. Thereafter, it would fire its onboard engines to slow itself down and get captured into Lunar orbit. Then, it would begin to circle the moon in a highly-elliptical orbit.” During the first weeks of August, the spacecraft is set to complete five to six orbits around the moon before a precise landing site on the moon’s south pole area is determined. In this crucial operation, the spacecraft’s velocity was reduced, 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 further manoeuvres planned to gradually decrease its altitude in the following days. About the Chandrayaan-3 mission Chandrayaan-3 is expected to make a soft landing near the Lunar south pole at around 70 degrees latitude. Performing a successful Lunar soft landing would make India the fourth nation to do so, after Russia, the United States and China. ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 is meant to land a few hundred kilometres away from the Moon’s south pole – a region that has also largely remained unexplored, owing to the near-nil sunlight illumination there. However, it is believed that many mysteries of the Moon could be unravelled by performing in-situ probing of this region. Launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 14 July, 2023, aboard the LVM-3 rocket, Chandrayaan-3 has covered over three lakh kilometres between Earth and Moon. It had completed its orbits around the Earth on August 1 when it embarked on its trans-lunar journey. ISRO scientists now have to demonstrate the capability for a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, following the challenges faced during the Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Chandrayaan-3 successfully inserted into Moon’s orbit, under lunar gravity now: ISRO

<p>"How is Chandrayaan-3 getting to the moon?" Most people posed with this question would reply that the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was launched into space by the Indian LVM3 rocket and thereafter the craft is propelling its way to the moon.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Of course, the launch of a rocket is the most spectacular moment of any spacefaring mission - it makes great visuals for television and social media, and the engine roar of the rocket is a certain goosebumps moment. However, a rocket launch mission (from lift-off to satellite injection) barely lasts 20 minutes (in the case of Chandrayaan-3 it was 16 minutes). So, how does the spacecraft safely and efficiently get to the moon in the six weeks that it travels in space? That's where a lesser-known science, 'Spacecraft Mission Operations' comes into play. The teams working on Spacecraft Mission Operations are the ones who remotely monitor, control and keep the spacecraft operational.</p>

<h2><strong>Mission planning</strong></h2>

<p>Think of it as planning a business trip by road. A whole variety of aspects need to be factored in - when to reach, when to leave, the route to take, backup plans etc. Planning a space mission is quite similar but with exponentially higher levels of complexity and no tolerance for errors. If the primary plans fail, there are multiple backup plans kept in place.&nbsp;</p>

<p>When Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14th, the vehicle lifted off at 2:35pm (IST) and on the same afternoon, ISRO announced that the Lunar landing is scheduled for 5:47pm (IST) on August 23. This indicates that the entire 40-day journey to the moon and the manoeuvres to be performed in between are planned well in advance, and they are precisely charted on a minute-to-minute basis.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While planning such missions, a whole variety of factors are taken into consideration. There is an entire branch of space science known as 'Orbital Mechanics' that is used to determine what is known as a 'Launch window', a period of time within which a certain launch must happen. Launch windows depend on a plethora of factors - place of launch, type of orbit intended, final destination, whether it is headed for another planet, number of satellites being carried, the time of the year, the position of the relevant celestial bodies and also near-nil risk of space debris.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Mission Operations</strong></h2>

<p>In a layman's view, a rocket launch mission is considered successful if the satellite is injected into its orbit. However, that is just the beginning of the constant process of mission monitoring, where various aspects of the spacecraft's health and performance have to be kept track of. For a spacecraft to work properly and safely, it has to be able to generate its own power, its antennae have to be positioned towards the earth, its systems and sensors must be functional, it must be kept clear of space debris, it must be kept safe from solar storms etc. From the time a satellite is placed in orbit, till the time its operational life ends (or it is disposed by de-orbiting), a spacecraft is constantly monitored.</p>

<h2><strong>Tracking, Telemetry and Command</strong></h2>

<p>It is one thing to launch rockets and spacecraft away from the Earth, but the purpose of the mission is fulfilled only if there is a constant communication link between the ground stations and the spacefaring rocket and spacecraft. Simply put, tracking and telemetry serve as the eyes and ears of any space agency. Using giant antennae positioned at various locations, it is possible to locate the craft, communicate with it, receive the data being shared by the craft and even issue commands to the craft.&nbsp;</p>

<p>During its time in orbit around the earth, Chandrayaan-3 was commanded to perform five Orbit Raising manoeuvres, each of which slingshot it further away from the earth. Most recently (on August 1st), Chandrayaan-3 was pushed outside of Earth's orbit and put on a path that will lead it to rendezvous with the moon on August 5th. All of these manoeuvres performed by the craft are based on commands that are issued from the ground stations that ISRO operates.&nbsp;</p>

<p>ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), Bengaluru handles the major responsibility to provide tracking support for all the satellite and launch vehicle missions of ISRO. The major objectives of the centre are to carrying out mission operations of all operational remote sensing and scientific satellites, providing Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TTC) services from launch vehicle lift-off, till injection of the satellite into orbit and to estimate its preliminary orbit in space etc. In this endeavour, ISTRAC is supported by ISRO's Indian Deep Space Network, Karnataka.</p>

<h2><strong>Tracking Deep Space missions: An international collaborative effort</strong></h2>

<p>However large and capable, all radars and communication antennae have a specific range within which they can track and communicate. When tracking a rocket launch, tracking a global constellation of satellites or tracking deep space missions (interplanetary or Lunar missions), an extremely wide coverage of antennae from various locations are required. Such antennae and related infrastructure have to be installed at multiple locations and can cost huge sums of money.&nbsp;</p>

<p>ISRO's ISTRAC has established a network of ground stations at Bengaluru, Lucknow, Mauritius, Sriharikota, Port Blair, and Thiruvananthapuram, within India. Brunei, Biak (Indonesia) are the friendly-foreign nations where ISTRAC operates its overseas facilities. However, when a spacecraft like Chandrayaan-3 circles the earth and travels farther (the moon is 3.84lakh kms away), it is imperative to have a global network of stations that can offer tracking support.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As part of ISRO's International cooperation with major space agencies, multiple tracking stations belonging to NASA, the European space agency and Swedish Space Corporation are tracking Chandrayaan-3 from around the world. These include South Point Satellite Station in Hawaii, Goldstone in California, Kourou in South America (French Guiana), Madrid in Spain, Goonhilly in the UK and Canberra in Australia. The constant tracking from Indian and foreign stations ensures that India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is visible to one or more stations at a time and can be monitored and safely steered towards the moon.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On August 23rd, at 5:43pm (IST), when the Lunar soft-landing of Chandrayaan-3 is planned, all eyes would be on ISTRAC in Bengaluru, as the station coordinates with its foreign collaborators to monitor the craft's all-important touchdown on Lunar soil.&nbsp;</p>

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"How is Chandrayaan-3 getting to the moon?" Most people posed with this question would reply that the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was launched into space by the Indian LVM3 rocket and thereafter the craft is propelling its way to the moon.

"How is Chandrayaan-3 getting to the moon?" Most people posed with this question would reply that the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was launched into space by the Indian LVM3 rocket and thereafter the craft is propelling its way to the moon. Of course, the launch of a rocket is the most spectacular moment of any spacefaring mission - it makes great visuals for television and social media, and the engine roar of the rocket is a certain goosebumps moment. However, a rocket launch mission (from lift-off to satellite injection) barely lasts 20 minutes (in the case of Chandrayaan-3 it was 16 minutes). So, how does the spacecraft safely and efficiently get to the moon in the six weeks that it travels in space? That's where a lesser-known science, 'Spacecraft Mission Operations' comes into play. The teams working on Spacecraft Mission Operations are the ones who remotely monitor, control and keep the spacecraft operational. Mission planning Think of it as planning a business trip by road. A whole variety of aspects need to be factored in - when to reach, when to leave, the route to take, backup plans etc. Planning a space mission is quite similar but with exponentially higher levels of complexity and no tolerance for errors. If the primary plans fail, there are multiple backup plans kept in place. When Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14th, the vehicle lifted off at 2:35pm (IST) and on the same afternoon, ISRO announced that the Lunar landing is scheduled for 5:47pm (IST) on August 23. This indicates that the entire 40-day journey to the moon and the manoeuvres to be performed in between are planned well in advance, and they are precisely charted on a minute-to-minute basis. While planning such missions, a whole variety of factors are taken into consideration. There is an entire branch of space science known as 'Orbital Mechanics' that is used to determine what is known as a 'Launch window', a period of time within which a certain launch must happen. Launch windows depend on a plethora of factors - place of launch, type of orbit intended, final destination, whether it is headed for another planet, number of satellites being carried, the time of the year, the position of the relevant celestial bodies and also near-nil risk of space debris. Mission Operations In a layman's view, a rocket launch mission is considered successful if the satellite is injected into its orbit. However, that is just the beginning of the constant process of mission monitoring, where various aspects of the spacecraft's health and performance have to be kept track of. For a spacecraft to work properly and safely, it has to be able to generate its own power, its antennae have to be positioned towards the earth, its systems and sensors must be functional, it must be kept clear of space debris, it must be kept safe from solar storms etc. From the time a satellite is placed in orbit, till the time its operational life ends (or it is disposed by de-orbiting), a spacecraft is constantly monitored. Tracking, Telemetry and Command It is one thing to launch rockets and spacecraft away from the Earth, but the purpose of the mission is fulfilled only if there is a constant communication link between the ground stations and the spacefaring rocket and spacecraft. Simply put, tracking and telemetry serve as the eyes and ears of any space agency. Using giant antennae positioned at various locations, it is possible to locate the craft, communicate with it, receive the data being shared by the craft and even issue commands to the craft. During its time in orbit around the earth, Chandrayaan-3 was commanded to perform five Orbit Raising manoeuvres, each of which slingshot it further away from the earth. Most recently (on August 1st), Chandrayaan-3 was pushed outside of Earth's orbit and put on a path that will lead it to rendezvous with the moon on August 5th. All of these manoeuvres performed by the craft are based on commands that are issued from the ground stations that ISRO operates. ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), Bengaluru handles the major responsibility to provide tracking support for all the satellite and launch vehicle missions of ISRO. The major objectives of the centre are to carrying out mission operations of all operational remote sensing and scientific satellites, providing Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TTC) services from launch vehicle lift-off, till injection of the satellite into orbit and to estimate its preliminary orbit in space etc. In this endeavour, ISTRAC is supported by ISRO's Indian Deep Space Network, Karnataka. Tracking Deep Space missions: An international collaborative effort However large and capable, all radars and communication antennae have a specific range within which they can track and communicate. When tracking a rocket launch, tracking a global constellation of satellites or tracking deep space missions (interplanetary or Lunar missions), an extremely wide coverage of antennae from various locations are required. Such antennae and related infrastructure have to be installed at multiple locations and can cost huge sums of money. ISRO's ISTRAC has established a network of ground stations at Bengaluru, Lucknow, Mauritius, Sriharikota, Port Blair, and Thiruvananthapuram, within India. Brunei, Biak (Indonesia) are the friendly-foreign nations where ISTRAC operates its overseas facilities. However, when a spacecraft like Chandrayaan-3 circles the earth and travels farther (the moon is 3.84lakh kms away), it is imperative to have a global network of stations that can offer tracking support. As part of ISRO's International cooperation with major space agencies, multiple tracking stations belonging to NASA, the European space agency and Swedish Space Corporation are tracking Chandrayaan-3 from around the world. These include South Point Satellite Station in Hawaii, Goldstone in California, Kourou in South America (French Guiana), Madrid in Spain, Goonhilly in the UK and Canberra in Australia. The constant tracking from Indian and foreign stations ensures that India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is visible to one or more stations at a time and can be monitored and safely steered towards the moon. On August 23rd, at 5:43pm (IST), when the Lunar soft-landing of Chandrayaan-3 is planned, all eyes would be on ISTRAC in Bengaluru, as the station coordinates with its foreign collaborators to monitor the craft's all-important touchdown on Lunar soil. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Explained | Spacecraft Mission Operations, the science that's steering Chandrayaan-3 to the Moon

<p>After spending 17 days in orbit around the Earth, India's third Lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 is prepared to bid goodbye to its orbit around the home planet and set course for its destination - Earth's Moon. By performing a Trans-Lunar Injection(TLI), a long duration burn of its engines (around 20 minutes), Chandrayaan-3 will completely slingshot itself out of earth's orbit and influence, thereby putting it on a path that will eventually lead it to the moon. This crucial manoeuvre is expected to be performed on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday (31st July and 1st August) between midnight hour and 1:00 am (IST).</p>

<p>So far, during its orbit around the earth, as per commands from ISRO's tracking, telemetry and command facility (ISTRAC), the spacecraft fired its onboard engines on five pre-planned occasions. During each of these engine firings, the craft slingshot itself into a higher orbit and moved further away from the Earth.&nbsp;</p>

<p>To get its spacecraft to destinations far away from the Earth (Moon, Mars etc), the Indian space agency has been using the Slingshot method, scientifically known as Hohmann Transfer Orbits. This is an energy-efficient technique to get a spacecraft to its destination, in the absence of powerful and heavy-lifting rockets. With extremely powerful rockets(such as America's Space Launch System), it is possible to propel a massive craft (weighing close to 40 tonnes) to the moon in less than a week. Given that India's LVM3 rocket has around only a fraction of the lifting power of global super-heavy rockets, the Indian space agency is using a time-consuming method (which takes more than a month) to get its 3.9-tonne craft to the moon, using available resources.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Having heavier and more powerful rockets means the ability to carry&nbsp;more capable spacecraft. The combination of heavy rockets and heavy spacecraft will ensure that the craft is able to develop the velocity and departure energy required to rapidly exit the earth's influence and set course for the moon (Trans Lunar Injection).&nbsp;</p>

<p>Once the TLI burn is complete, the craft will travel around five days to reach a pre-determined point in space, where the moon will also be at the time. Remember, the moon is also circling the earth and the spacecraft is also circling the earth, so the craft and the moon will have to meet at a certain ideal time and place. Once that meeting happens, the craft will be captured by the moon's gravity and it would begin to orbit the moon.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Thereafter, during the ideal time and day, the Lunar craft is allowed to de-boost itself and progressively get closer to the moon's surface, slow itself down gradually and prepare for a lunar landing. ISRO has planned Chandrayaan-3's Lunar landing for&nbsp;5:47 pm (IST) on August 23.&nbsp;</p>

<p>With a mission life of one Lunar day (14 Earth days), Chandrayaan-3 is meant to land near the Lunar south pole (approximately at 80 degrees latitude).</p>

<p>The mission's 'Vikram' lander must touch down on the Lunar surface at the start of the Lunar day in order to make use of available sunlight (using solar panels and batteries) and operate its science payloads, sensors, gather data and communicate it back to earth. ISRO's Lunar spacecraft is meant to land a few hundred kilometres away from the Lunar south pole. The Lunar south pole is a region that has largely remained unexplored, owing to the near-nil sunlight illumination there. It is believed that many mysteries of the moon could be unravelled by performing in-situ probing of this region.&nbsp;</p>

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After spending 17 days in orbit around the Earth, India's third Lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 is prepared to bid goodbye to its orbit around the home planet and set course for its destination - Earth's Moon.

After spending 17 days in orbit around the Earth, India's third Lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 is prepared to bid goodbye to its orbit around the home planet and set course for its destination - Earth's Moon. By performing a Trans-Lunar Injection(TLI), a long duration burn of its engines (around 20 minutes), Chandrayaan-3 will completely slingshot itself out of earth's orbit and influence, thereby putting it on a path that will eventually lead it to the moon. This crucial manoeuvre is expected to be performed on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday (31st July and 1st August) between midnight hour and 1:00 am (IST). So far, during its orbit around the earth, as per commands from ISRO's tracking, telemetry and command facility (ISTRAC), the spacecraft fired its onboard engines on five pre-planned occasions. During each of these engine firings, the craft slingshot itself into a higher orbit and moved further away from the Earth. To get its spacecraft to destinations far away from the Earth (Moon, Mars etc), the Indian space agency has been using the Slingshot method, scientifically known as Hohmann Transfer Orbits. This is an energy-efficient technique to get a spacecraft to its destination, in the absence of powerful and heavy-lifting rockets. With extremely powerful rockets(such as America's Space Launch System), it is possible to propel a massive craft (weighing close to 40 tonnes) to the moon in less than a week. Given that India's LVM3 rocket has around only a fraction of the lifting power of global super-heavy rockets, the Indian space agency is using a time-consuming method (which takes more than a month) to get its 3.9-tonne craft to the moon, using available resources. Having heavier and more powerful rockets means the ability to carry more capable spacecraft. The combination of heavy rockets and heavy spacecraft will ensure that the craft is able to develop the velocity and departure energy required to rapidly exit the earth's influence and set course for the moon (Trans Lunar Injection). Once the TLI burn is complete, the craft will travel around five days to reach a pre-determined point in space, where the moon will also be at the time. Remember, the moon is also circling the earth and the spacecraft is also circling the earth, so the craft and the moon will have to meet at a certain ideal time and place. Once that meeting happens, the craft will be captured by the moon's gravity and it would begin to orbit the moon. Thereafter, during the ideal time and day, the Lunar craft is allowed to de-boost itself and progressively get closer to the moon's surface, slow itself down gradually and prepare for a lunar landing. ISRO has planned Chandrayaan-3's Lunar landing for 5:47 pm (IST) on August 23. With a mission life of one Lunar day (14 Earth days), Chandrayaan-3 is meant to land near the Lunar south pole (approximately at 80 degrees latitude). The mission's 'Vikram' lander must touch down on the Lunar surface at the start of the Lunar day in order to make use of available sunlight (using solar panels and batteries) and operate its science payloads, sensors, gather data and communicate it back to earth. ISRO's Lunar spacecraft is meant to land a few hundred kilometres away from the Lunar south pole. The Lunar south pole is a region that has largely remained unexplored, owing to the near-nil sunlight illumination there. It is believed that many mysteries of the moon could be unravelled by performing in-situ probing of this region. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Chandrayaan-3 craft to slingshot itself out of Earth's influence, set course for Lunar capture

It is one of India's most ambitious space missions the race to land on the moon on Friday India is set to make history by joining the elite space Club of Nations to land on the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3 : Where is it now? All you need to know | Latest News | WION

<p>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.&nbsp;</p>

<p>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.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-lion-strolls-amid-downpour-in-gujarats-junagadh-captivates-netizens-618915">WATCH: Lion strolls amid downpour in India's Gujarat, video captivates netizens</a></p>

<p>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.</p>

<h2><strong>Union Minister shares update on Chandrayaan-3 launch</strong></h2>

<p>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.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chandrayaan-3 Mission:<br />
The spacecraft has attained a 51400 km x 228 km orbit, as planned.</p>
— ISRO (@isro) <a href="https://twitter.com/isro/status/1681293895341162499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>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.</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/kejriwals-water-atm-initiative-to-bridge-gap-in-access-to-drinking-water-between-the-rich-and-poor-618932">Kejriwal's water ATM initiative to bridge gap in access to drinking water between the rich and poor</a></p>

<p>"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,"&nbsp;Somnath said.</p>

<h2><strong>What’s next for Chandrayaan-3?</strong></h2>

<p>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.&nbsp;</p>

<p>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.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>


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.

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. Also Read | WATCH: Lion strolls amid downpour in India's Gujarat, video captivates netizens 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. Also Read | Kejriwal's water ATM initiative to bridge gap in access to drinking water between the rich and poor "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) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Chandrayaan-3 update: 10 days after launch, Chandrayaan-3 to escape Earth's orbit soon

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