The Indian Space Research Organization on Friday provided an update on Chandrayaan-3 mission by saying that the spacecraft has covered about two-thirds of the distance to the moon.
The critical Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI) is also set for today, August 5, around 19:00 Hrs IST, said a tweet by ISRO.
On Tuesday, ISRO informed the successful execution of a critical perigee burn, an essential manoeuvre that effectively propelled Chandrayaan-3 into an orbit of 288 km x 369,328 km. With this adjustment, the spacecraft had entered the gravitational influence of the moon.
The mission’s forthcoming crucial phase involves the Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI), set to be accomplished through a manoeuvre near perilune.
The process of lunar orbit insertion is a complex one. To achieve this, the spacecraft first maneuvers away from Earth’s orbit and then enters a crucial point in the Moon’s gravity known as ‘perigee,’ where the Moon’s influence on the spacecraft becomes apparent.
Chandrayaan-3, the third lunar expeditionunder taken by India, was successfully launched on July 14, 2023, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The spacecraft’s intended destination is the moon, with a projected soft landing anticipated between August 23-24. Following a successful landing, the Rover will separate from the lander module and leverage its advanced APXS (Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer) payloads to conduct in-depth scientific investigations.