Chandrayaan-3 leaves Earth, heads towards the Moon; next step on August 5
Chandrayaan-3 has completed its orbits around the Earth and is now headed towards the Moon, ISRO said in an update. Chandrayaan-3 commenced its 3.8 lakh-km-long journey to the Moon. The Lunar-Orbit Insertion (LOI) is planned for August 5.
FollowIndia's ambitious Chandrayaan-3 Moon mission blasted off on July 14. On Tuesday, August 1, the spacecraft successfully carried out its fifth orbit-raising manoeuvre and finished its loops around the planet.
Chandrayaan-3 then started its 3.8 lakh kilometre trek to the Moon. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the Lunar-Orbit Insertion (LOI) is scheduled on August 5.
"Chandrayaan-3 completes its orbits around the Earth and heads towards the Moon. A successful perigee-firing performed at ISTRAC, ISRO has injected the spacecraft into the translunar orbit," ISRO said in a tweet on Tuesday.
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On July 14, 2023, Chandrayaan-3 was launched from Sriharikota's Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Since then, it has completed five orbit-raising manoeuvres successfully, advancing towards its ultimate goal—the moon.
According to an ISRO official speaking to news agency PTI, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft departed from orbiting the earth after the trans-lunar injection (TLI) and is now travelling towards the Moon's vicinity.
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On August 23, ISRO had previously said that it will try a gentle touchdown of the lander on the lunar surface. The scientific equipment aboard Chandrayaan-3 is intended to investigate several features of the lunar surface, such as the elemental composition close to the landing site on the Moon, the lunar seismicity, the lunar surface plasma environment, and the thermophysical characteristics of the lunar regolith.
The total cost of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is Rs 615 crores, which is notably lower than the cost — Rs 978 crores — of Chandrayaan-2. The mission is a landmark in the nation’s journey of space exploration. The spacecraft, upon landing, will be operating for one lunar day which is nearly 14 Earth days.
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