Chandrayaan-3 nears Moon's surface: How Isro is making it happen

By India Today Science Desk: After intercepting the Moon on August 5, Chandrayaan-3 is looping around Earth's next-door cosmic neighbour ahead of the planned soft-landing.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has announced that the spacecraft will, now through successive moon-bound maneuvers, gradually lower its orbit around the Moon, before the Propulsion Module separates from the lander-rover combination.

The moon-bound maneuvers began late Sunday night, as Chandrayaan-3 successfully underwent a planned orbit reduction maneuver, bringing it closer to the moon's surface.

The maneuver involved retrofiring the spacecraft's engines, reducing its orbit to 170 km x 4,313 km. This operation was executed a day after the spacecraft entered lunar orbit, marking a significant milestone in India's space exploration efforts.

Chandrayaan-3 was launched by Isro on July 14, 2023, with the aim of demonstrating a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, operating a rover on the moon, and conducting in-situ scientific experiments. The spacecraft consists of three main components: a propulsion module, a lander, and a rover.

The propulsion module is responsible for transporting the lander and rover to orbit around the moon.

The next operation to further reduce the orbit is scheduled for August 9, 2023, between 1:00-2:00 pm IST. This operation will bring the spacecraft even closer to the moon's surface, preparing it for the upcoming soft landing.

A 'soft landing' refers to the successful landing of a spacecraft without causing any significant damage to itself or its payload.

The landing site chosen for Vikram, the lander in this mission, is larger than that of the previous mission, measuring 4 kilometers by 2 kilometers. The landing velocity has been increased from 2 meters per second to 3 meters per second. Vikram is set to land by August 23 or 24.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission follows Chandrayaan-2, which encountered a last-minute glitch in the landing guidance software leading to the lander crashing after entering lunar orbit.

With Chandrayaan-3, Isro aims to rectify the shortcomings of the previous mission and achieve a successful soft landing on the moon.

As the countdown to the soft landing begins, the world watches with bated breath, hoping for the success of this ambitious mission.

A successful landing would make India the fourth country to accomplish this feat, following the United States, China, and the former Soviet Union.