Chandrayaan-3 update: Here's what Isro will do around the Moon today
The planned soft landing on August 23 will mark a significant achievement for ISRO and India. If successful, Chandrayaan-3 will land near the challenging terrain of the moon's South Pole, a region that remains largely unexplored.
Moon as seen by Chandrayaan-3 for the first time. (Photo: Isro)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Aug 9, 2023 11:23 IST
In Short
- On August 1, it was successfully inserted into the translunar orbit
- Four days later, on August 5, it entered the lunar orbit
- The second moon-bound maneuver is scheduled for today
India's Chandrayaan-3 mission is set to perform its second moon-bound maneuver on Wednesday. The crucial event to further alter its orbit around the moon is scheduled to be performed between 1:00 and 2:00 pm.
This crucial step comes as part of the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) strategic plan to reduce the spacecraft's orbit ahead of its planned soft landing on the moon on August 23.
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Chandrayaan-3, which translates to "Mooncraft" in Sanskrit, has been making significant strides since its launch. On August 1, it was successfully inserted into the translunar orbit, reaching an orbit of 288 km x 369328 km.
Just four days later, on August 5, it achieved another major milestone by successfully entering the lunar orbit, attaining the intended orbit of 164 km x 18074 km.
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The second moon-bound maneuver scheduled for today is a critical step in the mission's trajectory. It involves using the onboard propulsion system to further reduce the spacecraft's orbit around the moon.
The aim is to achieve an orbit of 170 km x 4313 km, bringing Chandrayaan-3 closer to its final destination - the moon's southern polar region.
Orbit reduction is a vital process in any lunar mission. It involves gradually decreasing the spacecraft's speed to allow for a controlled descent onto the lunar surface.
This is particularly important for Chandrayaan-3, as it aims to achieve a soft landing, a technically challenging feat that involves reducing the spacecraft's speed from over 6,000 km/h to zero.
The planned soft landing on August 23 will mark a significant achievement for ISRO and India. If successful, Chandrayaan-3 will land near the challenging terrain of the moon's South Pole, a region that remains largely unexplored and where no other nation has landed before.
The mission's primary objective is to collect data and conduct scientific experiments to learn more about the moon's composition.
The lander and rover are expected to operate for up to 14 Earth days, gathering crucial data and images to be sent back to Earth for analysis.
The findings could potentially shed new light on the physical characteristics of the moon's surface, its atmosphere, and tectonic activity.
