Chennai, Aug 4 (FN Agency) Marking yet another milestone in its third Moon Mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday said the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has covered about two-thirds of the distance to the moon. The Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI) of the spacecraft set for August 5, 2023, around 1900 hrs, ISRO tweeted. After the successful trans-lunar injection (TLI) on August one, the spacecraft is now on a lunar transfer trajectory, heading towards the Moon’s vicinity.
It may be noted that the Indian Space Agency had on August 1 midnight successfully injected the Chandrayaan-3 into the TransLunar Orbit after completing five Orbit raising maneuvers ever since its launch on July 14. ISRO tweeted : “A successful perigee-firing performed at ISTRAC, ISRO has injected the spacecraft into the translunar orbit. “Next stop: the Moon”, ISRO said, posting a photo of the moon. As it arrives at the moon, the next Lunar-Orbit Insertion (LOI) is planned for August 5, 2023, ISRO said. The soft landing on the moon is planned at 5.47 p.m on August 23. After injection into the Lunar orbit, the spacecraft’s orbit will be further manuevred for the soft landing on August 23 evening to explore the hitherto unexplored south polar region of the moon.
The LOI, scheduled for tomorrow will mark the beginning of the lunar-centric phase during which the spacecraft will orbit the Moon four times, getting progressively further closer to the lunar surface with each orbit. The highly anticipated soft landing is planned for August 23, during which the lander will separate from the propulsion module and attempt a gentle touchdown near the southern polar region of the Moon. This maneuvre requires precise braking techniques to ensure a safe landing. Prior to the landing attempt, ISRO will conduct thorough imaging of the landing site region to identify safe zones, free of hazards and potential obstacles.