Chandrayaan-3: Lander Separates From Propulsion Module; Mission Closer to Moon Landing | Updates – News18

Chandrayaan-3, India’s third space mission to moon is nearing its landing date of August 23-24. The Lander Module carrying the rover inside successfully separated from the Propulsion Module to be on course for its landing on the moon.

Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) mission, Chandrayaan-3 — launched on July 14 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota — successfully entered the lunar orbit on August 5.

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– Chandrayaan-3 Lander Separates From Propulsion Module

In a milestone achievement, the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s Lander Module (LM) carrying the rover inside successfully separated from its Propulsion Module, putting the mission on course for its soft-landing on the moon’s surface as planned on August 23.

The LM comprising the Vikram lander and rover Pragyan is ready to be lowered to an orbit that will take the mission closer to moon. The landing on the moon’s south pole is scheduled at 5:47 pm on August 23.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) posted on X, “Thanks for the ride, mate! said the Lander Module (LM). LM is successfully separated from the Propulsion Module (PM). LM is set to descend to a slightly lower orbit upon a deboosting planned for tomorrow around 1600 Hrs IST.”

– India Has 3 Active Spacecrafts in Moon Orbit, More Than China

India has now three spacecrafts orbiting the moon. Chandrayaan-3 mission’s Vikram lander and propulsion module have successfully separated. According to an India Today report, other than these two, Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is also operational around the moon.

Other than India, China, US and Korea also have their lunar missions orbiting around the moon.

– India’s Chandrayaan 3, Russia’s Luna-25 Prepping for Landing Next Week

Race to the moon is gaining pace as India’s Chandrayaan-3 and Russia’s Luna-25 are gearing up for their landings scheduled for next week.

While, Chandrayaan-3 is scheduled to land on August 23-24, Luna-25 might land between August 21-23, this has intensified the global attention on these missions.

– ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 Completes Last Lunar Manoeuver

India’s third mission to moon, Chandrayaan in another milestone, successfully completed its fifth and last lunar orbit manoeuver on Wednesday, taking the mission one more step ahead in being closer to the moon.

This completion allows the spacecraft to gear up for the separation of its Lander Module and Propulsion Module.

Posting on X, ISRO said, “Today’s successful firing, needed for a short duration, has put Chandrayaan-3 into an orbit of 153 km x 163 km, as intended. With this, the lunar-bound manoeuvres are completed. It’s time for preparations as the Propulsion Module and the Lander Module gear up for their separate journeys.”

– ISRO Shares Images of Earth and Moon Captured by Spacecraft’s Imager

ISRO shared images of the Earth and Moon on X. The view of the Earth was captured by the Lander Imager (LI) Camera on the day of the launch and the view of the moon was captured by the Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera (LHVC) on August 6, a day after the mission’s insertion into the lunar orbit.

– Chandrayaan-3 Milestone: Mission Enters Lunar Orbit

The Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully entered the lunar orbit on August 5, putting the mission on its path to achieving the goal of a soft-landing on the moon’s south pole, scheduled for August 23.