The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday in an update on the Chandrayaan-3 mission said that the spacecraft has completed its orbit around the Earth and is now headed towards the Moon. The update came in the early hours of August 1.
“A successful perigee-firing performed at ISTRAC (ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network), ISRO has injected the spacecraft into the translunar orbit,” ISRO stated on Twitter.
The space agency also said that the Lunar-Orbit Insertion (LOI) is planned for August 5, 2023.
An ISRO official told PTI that after today’s trans-lunar injection (TLI), the spacecraft has escaped from the home planet’s orbit and is now following a path that will take it to the Moon’s vicinity.
Launched on July 14, 2023, the mission will attempt soft landing of the lander on the lunar surface on August 23.
On July 26, ISRO completed the fifth and final orbit-raising maneuver, the Earth-bound perigee firing, of the spacecraft.
Chandrayaan-3 mission
The Chandrayaan-3 mission is India’s third lunar mission and a follow up of the 2019 Chandrayaan-2 mission. The previous mission failed partially after its lander and rover failed to carry out a soft-landing on the Moon. If India successfully achieves soft-landing this time, it will become the first country to soft-land near the South Pole. Before this mission, all previous missions have seen landings in the equatorial region. If successful, India will become the fourth country to achieve a soft-landing on the Moon. So far only the US, China and the Soviet Union have been able to achieve the feat.