Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft move closer to the Moon’s surface after it underwent another orbit reduction manoeuvre, ISRO said. India’s ambitious third Moon mission’s spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 after the launch on 14th July 2023, had enter into lunar orbit or the Moon’s orbit on 5th August 2023.
ISRO said :
"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 schedule for 24th August 2023, between 11.30am and 12.30pm, ISRO said.
A similar orbit reduction manoeuvre was carried out by the ISRO on Sunday.
As the mission progresses, a series of manoeuvres is being conduct by ISRO to gradually reduce Chandrayaan-3’s orbit and position it over the lunar poles.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
— ISRO (@isro) August 6, 2023
The spacecraft successfully underwent a planned orbit reduction maneuver. The retrofiring 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, 2023, between… pic.twitter.com/e17kql5p4c
According to ISRO sources, there will be two more orbit reduction manoeuvres to bring the spacecraft closer to the Moon.
These manoeuvres will be perform on 14th and 16th August 2023 to reach 100 km orbit, following which the landing module, comprising the lander and rover will break away from the propulsion module.
After this, the lander is expect to undergo a “deboost” (the process of slowing down) and make a soft landing on the south polar region of the Moon on 23rd August 2023.
ISRO Released First Images of Moon Capture by Chandrayaan-3 | Details Inside#2YoDoINDIA #Chandrayaan #Chandrayaan3 #Chandrayaan3FirstImages #Chandrayaan3InMoonsOrbit #ISRO #ISROMissionForMoon #Moon #MoonMission #SatishDhawanSpaceCentre #Sriharikotahttps://t.co/0diSSAHD0f
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Over five moves in the three weeks since the 14th July 2023 launch, ISRO had lift the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft into orbits farther and farther away from the Earth.
On 1st August 2023 in a key manoeuvre, a slingshot move, the spacecraft was sent successfully towards the Moon from Earth’s orbit.
Following this trans-lunar injection, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft escape from orbiting the Earth and began following a path that would take it to the vicinity of the moon.
Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.
ISRO Releases First Images of Moon Captured by Chandrayaan-3 After Entering Lunar Orbit | 2YoDo TV
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It consists of lander and rover configuration.
As it comprises an indigenous propulsion module, lander module, and a rover with an objective of developing and demonstrating new technologies require for inter-planetary missions.
The propulsion module will carry the lander and rover configuration till 100 km lunar orbit.
The propulsion module has Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the spectral and polarimetric measurements of earth from the lunar orbit.
The mission objectives of Chandrayaan-3 are to demonstrate safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, to demonstrate rover roving on the Moon, and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.
ISRO Successfully Performs Orbit Reduction Manoeuvre, Brings Chandrayaan-3 Closer to Moon
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The lander will have the capability to soft land at a specified lunar site and deploy the rover that will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the Moon’s surface during the course of its mobility.
The lander and the rover have scientific payloads to carry out experiments on the lunar surface.
