Chennai: ISRO scientists have successfully performed the first orbit-raising manoeuvre of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, the space agency said on Saturday, adding that the health of the moon-bound space vehicle was “normal”.
“Chandrayaan-3 Mission update: The spacecraft’s health is normal. The first orbit raising manoeuvre (Earthbound firing-1) was successfully performed at ISTRAC/ISRO, Bengaluru. Spacecraft is now in 41762kms x 173kms orbit,” ISRO said in a social media post.
Chandrayaan-3 is now in an orbit, which when closest to Earth is at 173 km and farthest from Earth is at 41,762 km, the ISRO informed.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on July 14 successfully launched Chandrayaan-3—India’s third lunar mission— at 2:35 PM from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. Chandrayaan-3, the third iteration of India’s Moon exploration project, aims to make a soft landing on the unexplored south pole of the Moon.
If successful, India will join an elite club of nations that have successfully landed on the moon. Only three countries, the United States, China and Russia, have managed to land on the lunar surface so far.
Journey to the moon
The journey from Earth to the moon for the spacecraft is estimated to take about a month and the landing is expected on August 23. Upon landing, it will operate for one lunar day, which is approximately 14 Earth days.
Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar exploration mission, will make India the fourth country after US, China, and Russia, to land its spacecraft on the surface of the moon and demonstrate the country’s abilities for safe and soft landing on lunar surface.
‘A historic day’
Ahead of the historic launch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that July 14, 2023 will always be etched in golden letters in the annals of India’s space sector history. “This remarkable mission will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation,” PM Modi tweeted.
Hailing India’s ground-breaking lunar mission, PM Modi said the country first moon mission, Chandrayaan-1 is globally considered a path breaker as it confirmed the presence of water molecules on the moon and was featured in over 200 scientific publications across the world.
“Thanks to our scientists, India has a very rich history in the space sector. Chandrayaan-1 is considered to be a path breaker among global lunar missions as it confirmed the presence of water molecules on the moon. It featured in over 200 scientific publications around the world,” PM Modi wrote on Twitter.
(With PTI inputs)
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