Bengaluru: India`s lunar exploration endeavour, the Chandrayaan-3 mission, has achieved a milestone as it successfully completed the orbit circularisation phase, marking a crucial step towards its goals. A meticulously executed manoeuvre has resulted in the spacecraft attaining a near-circular orbit, with dimensions of 150 km x 177 km.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the precise manoeuvre, conducted with precision and expertise, has laid the foundation for the next operation in the mission`s timeline. The upcoming operation is scheduled for August 16, 2023, at approximately 08:30 am.GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3), a heavy-lift launch vehicle that successfully launched the Chandrayaan-3 satellite, underwent a planned orbit lowering manoeuvre on August 6, according to ISRO, putting it closer to the moon.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
Today’s successful firing, needed for a short duration, has put Chandrayaan-3 into an orbit of 153 km x 163 km, as intended.
With this, the lunar bound maneuvres are completed.
It’s time for preparations as the Propulsion Module and the Lander Module… pic.twitter.com/0Iwi8GrgVR
— ISRO (@isro) August 16, 2023
The next similar operation, according to the space agency, will happen on August 9.
“The spacecraft successfully underwent a planned orbit reduction manoeuvre. The retrofitting of engines brought it closer to the Moon`s surface, now to 170 km x 4313 km.The next operation to further reduce the orbit is scheduled for August 9, between 13:00 and 14:00 hours IST,” the ISRO tweeted on August 7.
The first photos of the moon taken by Chandrayaan-3, India`s third lunar mission, were released by the space agency on August 7. After entering the Moon`s orbit on August 5, Chandrayan-3 took pictures of the lunar surface.
On July 14, the GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle carrying the spacecraft successfully launched off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
