India’s ambitious third Moon mission, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, on Wednesday successfully executed its fifth and final orbit manoeuvre aimed at reaching the lunar surface.
This achievement has brought the spacecraft even closer to its destination. Having completed its lunar-bound manoeuvres, the spacecraft is now set to enter the next phase, which involves the separation of the propulsion module and the lander module, as stated by ISRO.
The lander module comprises Vikram, the lander, and rover Pragyan.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
— ISRO (@isro) August 14, 2023
Orbit circularisation phase commences
Precise 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
“Today’s successful firing, needed for a short duration, has put Chandrayaan-3 into an orbit of 153 km x 163 km, as intended. With this, the lunar bound manoeuvre are completed.It’s time for preparations as the Propulsion Module and the Lander Module gear up for their separate journeys,” the national space agency tweeted. Separation of the lander module from the propulsion module of the spacecraft is planned for August 17, it said.
Post its launch on July 14, Chandrayaan-3 entered into the lunar orbit on August 5, following which three successive orbit reduction manoeuvre were carried out on August 6, 9 and 14 to move closer to the Moon.
As the mission unfolds, ISRO is carrying out a sequence of maneuvers to progressively lower Chandrayaan-3’s orbit and align it with the lunar poles.
The spacecraft is set to achieve a gentle landing in the Moon’s southern polar region on August 23.
