Chandrayaan-3: ISRO Successfully Conducts Orbit Reduction Manoeuvre

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Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) August 6, said that the Chandrayaan-3’s GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle went through a planned orbit reduction manoeuvre, allowing it to go closer to the moon.
ISRO also stated that it will perform the next such operation on August 9.

The Spacecraft successfully underwent a planned orbit reduction manoeuvre. The retrofitting of engines brought it closer to the Moon’s surface, now to 417 km into 4313 km. The next operation to further reduce the orbit is scheduled for August 9, between 13:00 and 14:00 hour IST, as the ISRO stated in its tweet on Sunday.

Meanwhile, ISRO revealed the first images of the moon as captured by Chandrayaan-3 during Lunar Orbit Insertion. The space agency put up a video in which the moon can be seen as a bluish-green color with many craters.

The spacecraft has completed two-thirds of the distance to the Moon since its launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Andhra Pradesh’s Shriharikota on July 14, 2023. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully entered the Lunar Orbit on August 5.

The forthcoming 18 days hold paramount importance for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Thus far, the lunar expedition has progressed without impediments, and ISRO anticipates a gentle touchdown of the Vikram lander on the moon’s surface by the end of this month, precisely on August 23.
The entry into lunar orbit stands as a significant achievement in the audacious ₹ 600 crore venture of ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar undertaking.

If successful, this mission will put India in the exclusive group of countries that have successfully carried out a safe and soft landing on the South pole of the Moon. India will become the fourth nation after the United States, China, and Russia to do so.

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