Chandrayaan-3 Nears Lunar Surface After Successful Orbit Adjustment

Bengaluru, August 16th (PTI) – Advancing in India’s ambitious third lunar expedition, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft achieved a pivotal milestone on Wednesday. Successfully executing its fifth and final orbit adjustment, the spacecraft has moved even closer to its lunar destination. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) stated that these lunar-bound maneuvers are now completed, paving the way for the subsequent separation of the propulsion module and the lander module.

According to ISRO’s announcement, “In a precisely executed maneuver today, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft underwent a carefully calculated ignition, resulting in its orbital parameters stabilizing at 153 km x 163 km as intended. This signifies the culmination of the intricate lunar approach maneuvers. The focus now shifts to meticulous preparations as we ready the Propulsion Module and the Lander Module, priming them for their upcoming independent trajectories.” The official Twitter account of the national space agency conveyed this significant update.

The scheduled separation of the spacecraft’s lander module from its propulsion module is slated for August 17, as per the provided information.

Subsequent to its launch on July 14, Chandrayaan-3 successfully achieved lunar orbit insertion on August 5. This achievement was followed by a series of three consecutive orbit reduction maneuvers on August 6, 9, and 14, strategically executed to progressively approach the Moon.

In accordance with the mission’s advancement, ISRO is meticulously conducting a sequence of maneuvers aimed at methodically diminishing Chandrayaan-3’s orbital path, ultimately aligning it over the lunar poles.

The spacecraft’s forthcoming milestone involves a delicate landing planned for August 23 within the Moon’s south polar region.