The Indian Space Research Organisation on Tuesday in an update on Chandrayaan-3 mission tweeted that the fifth and the final orbit-raising maneuver, the Earth-bound perigee firing, of the spacecraft has been successfully performed.
In the same tweet the space agency said that the spacecraft is expected to attain an orbit of 1,27,609 kilometres x 236 kilometres. “The achieved orbit will be confirmed after the observations,” it said.
It added that the next firing, which will be for the TransLunar Injection (TLI), has been planned for August 1 between 12 midnight and 1 am (Indian Standard Time).
Union Minister Jitendra Singh in an interaction with ANI on Monday gave an update on the upcoming steps of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. He informed about ISRO’s plans for final orbit-raising maneuver and how the spacecraft will later enter the Moon’s orbit.
Chandrayaan-3 mission
The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14, 2023. It is India’s third lunar mission and a follow up of the 2019 Chandrayaan-2 mission which failed partially after its lander and rover failed to carry out a soft-landing on the Moon. The soft-landing of Chandrayaan-3 is expected to happen on August 23 on the South Pole of the Moon. If India successfully achieves soft-landing, it will become the first country to soft-land near the South Pole. A soft-landing means the vehicle lands on the surface of the Moon without sustaining any damage. Such a landing prevents the lunar probe from facing any damage and keeps it functional after reaching the surface.
Prior to Chandrayaan-3, all previous missions have seen landings in the equatorial region. The polar regions of the Moon have remained unexplored. India’s Chandrayaan-1 had indicated the presence of water on the Moon’s surface. 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.