The Chandrayaan-3 mission is expected to make a gentle landing at 6:04 PM IST on August 23rd. This mission, developed and executed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), follows Chandrayaan-2, which fell short of its objectives.
ISRO’s goal is to achieve a soft landing for Chandrayaan-3 at the southern pole of the Moon, a region of particular importance due to its potential water ice deposits.
The following events occurred in chronological order:
- Announcement and Preparations:
July 6, 2023: ISRO announces Chandrayaan-3’s launch date as July 14, from Sriharikota’s secondary launch pad.
Accomplishment on July 7, 2023: Vehicle electrical evaluations concluded with success.
July 11, 2023: 24-hour launch rehearsal simulating the launch procedure.
- Launch and Initial Orbits:
July 14, 2023: Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is launched using the LVM3 M4 vehicle, reaching the intended orbit.
On July 15, 2023: Initial orbital elevation manoeuvre performed to reach 41,762 km x 173 km orbit.
July 17, 2023: Second adjustment carried out, placing the orbit at 41,603 km x 226 km.
On July 22, 2023: Third manoeuvre to 71,351 km x 233 km.
On July 25, 2023: Additional orbit-raising manoeuvre.
- Lunar Orbit Insertion:
August 1, 2023: Chandrayaan-3 is inserted into a translunar orbit (288 km x 369,328 km).
August 5, 2023: Lunar orbit is achieved at 164 km x 18,074 km.
- Orbit Adjustments:
August 6, 2023: Lunar orbit is adjusted to 170 km x 4,313 km.
August 9, 2023: Chandrayaan-3’s trajectory is adjusted to maintain a lunar orbit of 174 km x 1,437 km.
August 14, 2023: Orbit is further adjusted to 150 km x 177 km.
August 20, 2023: Orbit is set at 134 km x 25 km, representing the lunar points farthest and nearest.
- Final Lunar Orbit and Landing Preparation:
August 17, 2023: The landing module (Vikram lander and Pragyan rover) is separated from the propulsion system.
August 18, 2023: The “deboosting” operation lowers the landing module’s orbit to 113 km x 157 km.
August 20, 2023: Chandrayaan-3’s orbit is adjusted to 134 km x 25 km.
- Lunar Touchdown Phase:
August 23, 2023: The anticipated initiation of the lunar touchdown is at 5:47 pm IST, with the soft landing planned for 6:04 pm IST.
Visit for More Details:https://www.isro.gov.in/Chandrayaan3.html
