Chandrayaan-3 health normal, advances towards moon’s sphere of influence: ISRO
Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft progresses towards lunar destination, set for Lunar Orbit Injection on August 5. Historic landing anticipated on August 23.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft remains in healthy condition as it progresses towards its lunar destination, the Indian space agency said on Tuesday. The successful perigee burn, carried out on Tuesday midnight, has raised its orbit to 288 km x 369,328 km, bringing it closer to the moon's sphere of influence. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) confirmed the spacecraft is now on track for the Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI) manoeuvre, which is set to take place when it reaches its nearest point to the moon on August 5.
Chandrayaan-3 successfully left Earth's orbit
Earlier today, between 12-12:30 am, the spacecraft underwent a burn near its closest point to Earth, resulting in its current orbit. It now hovers at a distance of 288 kilometres from Earth at its nearest point and 369,328 kilometres at its farthest.
READ HERE: Chandrayaan-3 successfully leaves Earth's orbit, heads towards Moon
Next stop is the moon!
Looking ahead, the next critical step is the LOI manoeuvre, where the spacecraft will be carefully navigated to enter the moon's orbit. The mission's soft landing near the moon's south pole is anticipated to take place around August 23, marking a historic moment for India, as it strives to become the fourth country to soft land on the lunar surface and the first to achieve a soft landing near the lunar south pole.
As Chandrayaan-3 approaches the moon, the propulsion module will gently lower its position. In the first week of August, the spacecraft is expected to complete 5-6 orbits around the moon, gradually transitioning to a circular 100-kilometre orbit. Over the subsequent 10 days, a precise landing location will be determined within the moon's south pole region. Then, the lander will deorbit and attempt a soft landing.
Isro remains vigilant about the landing schedule, taking into account the moon's sunrise, and if necessary, the landing may be rescheduled for September. With each milestone successfully achieved, India's Chandrayaan-3 mission is drawing closer to its groundbreaking lunar landing goal.