ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 performed precise manoeuvre today, achieving a near-circular orbit of 150 km * 177 km.
This phase aims to position the spacecraft in a near-circular orbit around the Moon. This phase is crucial for the success of the mission as it sets the stage for the subsequent landing attempt.
With trans-lunar injection (TLI) on August 1, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was put on the path towards the moon at an altitude of nearly 3.6 lakh km.
Chandrayaan-3's moon-bound manoeuvres started with the Lunar-Orbit Insertion (LOI) phase on August 5. With this, the spacecraft was inserted into the translunar orbit.
The landing of India's third lunar mission is planned for August 23. Chandrayaan-3 has been progressively approaching the moon through a series of meticulously planned and executed manoeuvres.
The next moon-bound operation is planned for August 16 around 8:30 am IST, as per ISRO.