The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) reported that the lander module is scheduled to separate from the propulsion module on Thursday after moving India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft closer to the moon on Wednesday.
“Today’s successful firing, which was required for a brief period of time, successfully placed Chandrayaan-3 into the planned orbit of 153 km by 163 km. The lunar maneuvers are finished with this. The Propulsion Module and the Lander Module are getting ready for their individual missions. On August 17, 2023, the Lander Module and Propulsion Module will be separated, according to a tweet from the space agency.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
Orbit circularisation phase commencesPrecise maneuvre performed today has achieved a near-circular orbit of 150 km x 177 km
The next operation is planned for August 16, 2023, around 0830 Hrs. IST pic.twitter.com/LlU6oCcOOb
— ISRO (@isro) August 14, 2023
The journey of Chandrayaan-3
A propulsion module (2,148 kg), a lander (1723.89 kg), and a rover (26 kg) make up the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. India’s third moon mission’s primary goal is to softly land a lander on the moon. The Vikram lander crashed onto the moon, ending the Chandrayaan-2 project. On August 23 at 5:47 p.m., the lander is anticipated to achieve a soft landing close to the South Pole of the moon. From a height of around 100 km above the moon’s surface, the lander will descend to the lunar surface.
The soft landing is a challenging problem because it requires a sequence of difficult actions that include both rough and precise braking. Prior to landing, imaging of the landing site area will be performed to identify safe and hazard-free zones. The six-wheeled rover will roll out after the soft landing and conduct tests on the lunar surface for one lunar day, which is equivalent to 14 days on Earth.
The Chandrayaan-3 was launched into orbit by India’s heavy lift rocket LVM3 on July 14 in textbook fashion. On August 1, the spacecraft left its orbit of the planet and moved toward the moon. The ISRO successfully injected the spacecraft into the translunar orbit on that day by a perigee-firing at ISTRAC.
More on:
