New Delhi, August 18, 2023: As the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) approaches a historic lunar landing, the agency has treated the world to stunning imagery of the moon’s surface, captured by a camera aboard the Chandrayaan-3 Lander Module (LM) on Friday.
This milestone follows the successful alignment of the LM, consisting of the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover, towards its impending lunar touchdown scheduled for August 23rd.
The sequence of images was captured after the separation of the Lander Module from the spacecraft’s Propulsion Module on the previous Thursday.
ISRO chose to reveal these captivating images on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), showcasing moon craters labeled in the pictures as ‘Fabry,’ ‘Giordano Bruno,’ and ‘Harkhebi J.’
The images were obtained on two separate days: first, through the Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC) on August 15, and then through the Lander Imager (LI) Camera-1 on August 17.
Trajectory and Next Steps: On the upcoming Friday, the Lander Module is set to transition to a lower orbit, a strategic move aimed at bringing it closer to the lunar surface for its anticipated soft landing on the Moon’s southern pole on August 23rd.
A significant deboosting maneuver for the Vikram Lander is scheduled for Friday at 4 pm. This maneuver comes after the successful separation of the lander from the Propulsion Module.
The lunar module (LM) already completed a deboosting maneuver, adjusting its orbit to 113 km x 157 km. The next planned deboosting operation is slated for August 20, 2023, at around 0200 hours.
Health Status and Updates: ISRO’s latest update confirms the LM’s “normal” health status and the successful execution of a deboosting operation.
“The LM successfully underwent a deboosting operation, which adjusted its orbit to 113 km x 157 km. The second deboosting operation is slated for August 20, 2023, around 0200 Hrs. IST,” reported the space agency.
Chandrayaan-3, the third mission in India’s lunar exploration series, embarked on its journey on July 14th of this year, entering lunar orbit on August 5th. With meticulous orbit adjustments underway, the mission is poised for a gentle landing attempt within 40 days of its launch. As ISRO navigates the challenges of space exploration, the world eagerly anticipates the successful outcome of this significant endeavor.
