Marching Towards Moon: Final orbit-raising manoeuvre of Chandrayaan-3 successful

Sriharikota/Bengaluru: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced the successful completion of the fifth and final Earth-bound orbit-raising manoeuvre of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft.

This significant milestone propels the spacecraft further away from Earth and sets the stage for the upcoming TransLunar Injection (TLI).

Following the manoeuvre, ISRO stated that the spacecraft is expected to attain an orbit of 1,27,609 km x 236 km. The achieved orbit will be confirmed after further observations.

This development comes on the heels of the fourth orbit-raising manoeuvre, which was successfully conducted last week.

Chandrayaan-3, India's third lunar mission, is making steady progress towards its goal. The next crucial step in this journey, the TLI, is scheduled for August 1, 2023, between 12 midnight and 1 am IST. This manoeuvre will slingshot the spacecraft towards the Moon, marking the beginning of its lunar journey.

Launched on July 14, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Chandrayaan-3 has been performing a series of orbit-raising manoeuvre to increase its altitude and distance from Earth. These manoeuvres have been instrumental in positioning the spacecraft for lunar insertion.

Unlike its predecessor, Chandrayaan-2, which carried an orbiter along with Vikram and Pragyan (the rover), Chandrayaan-3 is a composite of three modules: propulsion, lander and rover.

The spacecraft weighs 3,900 kg, with the propulsion module weighing 2,148 kg and the lander module, including the rover, weighing 1,752 kg.

Upon reaching the Moon, Chandrayaan-3 is expected to perform a series of manoeuvres before attempting a soft landing on the lunar surface by late August.

The mission aims to land in the Moon's South Pole area, where water is expected. If successful, India will join the elite group of nations - the United States, Russia, and China - that have achieved this feat.