The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday shared fresh images of the moon captured by Vikram Lander's Imager Camera 4. The images of Moon's surface were shared by ISRO on its X account.
Earlier, ISRO said that the Chandrayaan 3 moon mission is on schedule and the systems are undergoing regular checks. “Smooth sailing is continuing. The Mission Operations Complex (MOX) is buzzed with energy & excitement!” ISRO said in a post on X.
ISRO said the images of the moon were captured by the lander position detection camera (LPDC) from a height of about 70 kilometres on August 19.
“LPDC images assist the Lander Module in determining its position (latitude and longitude) by matching them against an onboard moon reference map”, ISRO stated.
‘Last 20 minutes before landing most crucial’
The Vikram lander's soft landing on the south pole of the Moon is expected to take place on Wednesday. According to the experts, the final 20 minutes before the soft landing is very crucial. The ISRO's mission scientists will be programming the landing a day before.
Chandrayaan 3 landing LIVE coverage
The ‘Vikram’ lander had successfully separated from the propulsion module last Thursday. It went two crucial deboosting manoeuvres and descended to a slightly lower orbit.
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On Monday, the Chandrayaan 3 lander module established connection with Chandrayaan 2's orbiter. “‘Welcome, buddy!’ Ch-2 orbiter formally welcomed Ch-3 LM. Two-way communication between the two is established. MOX has now more routes to reach the LM”, the ISRO had posted on X.
A GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle was used for the launch of the spacecraft which been through a series of orbital manoeuvres been lowered closer to the moon’s surface.
If successful, the Chandrayaan 3 mission will make India the fourth country after United States, Russia and China to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface.