Chandrayaan-3's Lander Successfully Separated, Set for Lunar Descent
- Posted on August 17, 2023
- News
- By Ishna
- 350 Views
In a monumental stride forward, India's Chandrayaan-3 mission has achieved a crucial milestone by successfully separating its landing module, consisting of the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover, from the propulsion module.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed that the landing module is poised to descend to a slightly lower orbit following a planned de-boosting manoeuvre scheduled for August 18 at 4 pm.
The recent separation manoeuvre was executed by ISRO a day after skillfully positioning the spacecraft into a designated orbit of 153km x 163km. This step adheres precisely to the mission's objectives. Unlike the previous Chandrayaan-2, where the spacecraft's orbit was a mere hair's breadth away from the projected one, Chandrayaan-3 has achieved the intended orbit, demonstrating ISRO's precision.
Next, a series of calculated de-boost manoeuvres will progressively place Vikram in orbit with the closest point to the Moon, Perilune, at 30km and the farthest point, Apolune, at 100km. Upon reaching this orbital arrangement, the most critical phase of the mission will commence: the intricate process of safely reducing the velocity of the lander from a 30km height down to the final landing site.
This daring endeavour is further complicated by the necessity to transition the spacecraft's orientation from horizontal to vertical before Vikram embarks on its anticipated final descent on August 23. Chandrayaan-3 is poised to rewrite lunar exploration history, building upon the lessons learned from its predecessor and promising to deepen our understanding of the Moon's mysteries.
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