Chandrayaan-3 On Track For Moon Landing After Completing Third Orbit Manoeuvre

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed the third orbit manoeuvre of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft.

"Chandrayaan-3 Mission: The spacecraft has attained a 51400 km x 228 km orbit, as planned," ISRO Tweeted on Tuesday. " The third orbit-raising maneuver (Earth-bound perigee firing) is performed successfully from ISTRAC/ISRO, Bengaluru. The next firing is planned for July 20, 2023, between 2 and 3 pm IST," the space agency added.

ISRO

Chandrayaan-3 gets closer to the Moon

Now, Chandrayaan-3 is in an orbit, which is at 228 km when closest to Earth and at 51,400 km when the farthest from our planet. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was launched by ISRO's largest and heaviest rocket, the Launch Vehicle Mark III (LVM3). India's third lunar exploration mission, Chandrayaan-3 was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
The mission is on schedule.

The third orbit-raising maneuver (Earth-bound perigee firing) is performed successfully from ISTRAC/ISRO, Bengaluru.

The next firing is planned for July 20, 2023, between 2 and 3 pm IST.

¡ª ISRO (@isro) July 18, 2023

The Chandrayaan-3 is the successor to Chandrayaan-2 that was unable to achieve a soft landing on the Moon. The updated spacecraft has been improved to increase the chances of success.

Also read: Why Chandrayaan-3 Wants To Be The First Mission To Probe Moon's South Pole

Unsplash

The first orbit raising manoeuvre was performed on Sunday, followed by the second one on July 17, and the third on July 18. The spacecraft is expected to reach the Moon by August 24 after reaching the lunar orbit between August 3-5. Chandrayaan-3 will demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and is equipped with a rover that will explore the south pole of the lunar surface.

ISRO

The spacecraft will study the less explored south pole of the Moon and has a mission life of one lunar day (14 Earth days). So far, the United States, China, and Russia have managed to land on the lunar surface.

Also read: Chandrayaan-3 Launched: India's Third Lunar Mission Will Reach Moon In August

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