Chandrayaan-3 successfully undergoes near-circular moon orbit in latest ISRO maneuver
Since its launch on July 14, the Chandrayaan-3 has undergone a series of Earth-bound manoeuvres between July 15 and 25, raising its altitude to over 1.2 lakh km at its farthest point from Earth (Apogee).
FollowThe Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) continues to make significant progress with the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft's mission, taking steps to bring it closer to its lunar target. In a recent manoeuvre carried out on Monday (August 14), ISRO successfully reduced the spacecraft's altitude even further. Previously in an elliptical orbit around the Moon with a farthest point (Apolune) of 1,437km, the spacecraft's altitude was fine-tuned in this operation.
"Orbit circularisation phase commences. Precise manoeuvre performed today has achieved a near-circular orbit of 150km x 177km. The next operation is planned for August 16, 2023, around 8.30 am," ISRO said.
These intricate orbital adjustments are part of Isro's System for Safe and Sustainable Space Operations Management (IS4OM), which critically analyzes each lunar-bound manoeuvre to assess potential risks of close approaches with other lunar orbiters before execution.
Earlier developments in the mission included guiding Chandrayaan-3 to an orbit of 174km x 1,437km on August 9. Just days prior, on August 6, the spacecraft's second Moon-bound manoeuvre was executed, reducing its altitude at the farthest point from the Moon (Apolune) from 18,074km to 4,313km.
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Since its launch on July 14, the Chandrayaan-3 has undergone a series of Earth-bound manoeuvres between July 15 and 25, raising its altitude to over 1.2 lakh km at its farthest point from Earth (Apogee). The trans-lunar injection (TLI) on August 1 propelled it towards the Moon's path at an altitude of nearly 3.6 lakh km. Subsequently, the lunar orbit insertion (LOI) was carried out on August 5, followed by three more manoeuvres.
ISRO's meticulous approach to these orbital adjustments underscores its commitment to ensuring the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. As each step is carefully executed, the spacecraft edges closer to achieving its mission objectives in exploring and understanding the Moon's mysteries.
