Chandrayaan-3 just 1,437 km away from moon
The Hindu
The next operation is scheduled for August 14, 2023, between 11:30 and 12:30 Hrs. IST
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on August 9 successfully carried out another orbit reduction manoeuvre of India’s third moon mission Chandrayaan-3.
The manoeuvre was performed from ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) centre in Bengaluru. The spacecraft is now just 1,437 km away from the moon.
ISRO stated: “Even closer to the moon’s surface. Chandrayaan-3’s orbit is reduced to 174 km x 1437 km following a manoeuvre performed today. The next operation is scheduled for August 14, 2023, between 11:30 and 12:30 Hrs. IST.”
The fifth and final orbit reduction manoeuvre will be carried out on August 16.
The Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14. It consists of a lander module (LM), a propulsion module (PM) and a rover.
After the lunar orbit insertion on August 5, ISRO stated: “As the mission progresses, a series of manoeuvres have been planned to gradually reduce Chandrayaan-3’s orbit and position it over the lunar poles. After some manoeuvres, the propulsion module will separate from the lander while in orbit. Following that, a series of complex braking manoeuvres will be executed to facilitate a soft landing in the south polar region of the Moon on August 23, 2023.”
The PM and LM separation would happen on August 17. A series of de-boost manoeuvres is scheduled to take place before the power descent phase for soft-landing on the moon. The lander is expected to touch down on the lunar surface on August 23 at 5.47 p.m.