Chandrayaan-3’s Scheduled Lunar Landing Confirmed for August 23, ISRO Announces

TFP Bureau Bangalore, August 20,2023: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has shared a significant update regarding the Chandrayaan-3 mission, confirming the anticipated time of its lunar touchdown. The ISRO announced on Sunday that it has effectively maneuvered the lander module (LM) of Chandrayaan-3 into a slightly lower orbit, a key step bringing it in closer proximity to the Moon.

Comprising the lander (Vikram) and rover (Pragyan), the lander module is now poised to make its much-anticipated landing on the lunar surface at 6:04 pm on August 23. This vital achievement was underscored by ISRO through its post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which stated, “The lander module has successfully descended further into orbit in the second and final deboosting (slowing down) operation.”

The upcoming phase involves an internal verification process for the module. The planned ‘soft landing’ operation, targeted for the South Pole of the Moon, is set to unfold on August 23 at the specified time. A significant milestone was reached on Thursday when the lander module and propulsion module of Chandrayaan-3 were meticulously separated. This separation, executed 35 days following the mission’s commencement on July 14, initiated the process leading to the upcoming landing attempt.

ISRO sources had previously revealed that the lander, post-separation, would undergo a crucial ‘deboosting’ phase to position it in an orbit with a perilune (the point nearest to the Moon) of 30 km and an apolune (the farthest point from the Moon) at a distance of 100 km. This strategic orbital arrangement will serve as the launchpad for the ‘soft landing’ maneuver.

Chandrayaan-3’s trajectory was propelled into the Moon’s orbit on August 5, following its launch on July 14. A series of low-orbit maneuvers were conducted on August 6, 9, 14, and 16 to gradually bring the module closer to the lunar surface before the propulsion and lander modules were separated. With August 23 marked as the pinnacle moment, ISRO remains steadfast in its pursuit of achieving the ‘soft landing’ feat, following weeks of meticulous maneuvers and calculated orbital adjustments.