"Chandrayaan-3 has unveiled its first-ever images after successfully entering the Moon's orbit. The spacecraft's current orbit, which was adjusted through retrofitting of engines, is now approximately 170 km x 4,313 km. An upcoming operation on August 9 between 13:00 and 14:00 hours IST aims to further reduce the orbit," as per an update posted by ISRO on social media platform X.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission reached a significant milestone by completing the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) on Saturday, positioning it within the moon's orbit and escaping Earth's gravity.
This marks ISRO's third consecutive success in placing its spacecraft into lunar orbit, in addition to achieving this feat with the Martian orbit. Concurrently, ISRO released the initial images of the moon, captured by Chandrayaan-3, India's third lunar mission.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission Milestones:
- July 6: ISRO announced Mission Chandrayaan-3's launch date as July 14, from Sriharikota's second launch pad.
- July 7: Successful completion of vehicle electrical tests.
- July 11: A comprehensive 'Launch Rehearsal' spanning 24 hours concluded, simulating the entire launch process.
- July 14: LVM3 M4 vehicle successfully launched Chandrayaan-3 into its designated orbit.
- July 15: Executed the first orbit-raising manoeuvre, Earthbound firing-1, successfully at ISTRAC/ISRO, Bengaluru. The spacecraft reached a 41762 km x 173 km orbit.
- July 17: Accomplished the second orbit-raising manoeuvre, resulting in the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft orbiting at 41603 km x 226 km.
- July 22: Successful completion of the fourth orbit-raising manoeuvre, Earth-bound perigee firing, placing the spacecraft in a 71351 km x 233 km orbit.
- July 25: Successfully executed another orbit-raising manoeuvre.
- August 1: Achieved a significant milestone by inserting Chandrayaan-3 into the translunar orbit, reaching an orbit of 288 km x 369328 km.
- August 5: Attained successful insertion into the lunar orbit, reaching the intended orbit of 164 km x 18074 km.
- August 6: Lowered the spacecraft's orbit to 170 km x 4,313 km around the moon.
What's Next for Chandrayaan-3?
As the mission progresses, a series of manoeuvres will be performed to position Chandrayaan-3 in a 100km lunar orbit and align it with the lunar poles.
Within the next ten days, a suitable landing site near the moon's south pole will be identified. Subsequently, the propulsion module will detach from the lander while in orbit. Following this, the lander will descend from orbit and make an attempt at a soft landing.
Chandrayaan-3 Landing Date:
Following these steps, a series of intricate braking manoeuvres will be conducted to facilitate a gentle landing in the Moon's South Polar region on August 23, at 5:47pm.
ISRO is closely monitoring the lunar landing schedule, considering factors like the moon's sunrise. If necessary, the landing may be rescheduled for September. With each milestone accomplished, India's Chandrayaan-3 mission moves closer to an unprecedented lunar landing achievement.