Chandrayaan-3’s Spectacular Lunar Orbit Insertion Captured on Camera
New Delhi, 7th August 2023: Chandrayaan-3’s first glimpse of the Moon was unveiled on Sunday, just one day after the spacecraft successfully entered lunar orbit.
“The Moon, captured during Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) on August 5, 2023, as seen from Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft,” the tweet stated.
During the pivotal manoeuvre that brought Chandrayaan-3 closer to the Moon, the spacecraft conveyed its message to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday, expressing, “I am feeling lunar gravity.” This marked a significant milestone in the ambitious Rs 600 crore mission of the space agency.
I am feeling lunar gravity.”
The successful insertion of Chandrayaan-3 into the lunar orbit was achieved through a retro-burning at the Perilune, which is the spacecraft’s closest point to the Moon. The provided instruction emanated from Bengaluru’s Mission Operations Complex (MOX), more precisely from ISTRAC (ISRO Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network).
The next operation, involving the reduction of the orbit, is scheduled for 11 PM on Sunday, as announced by ISRO in a tweet. The space agency plans to carry out this operation on August 9, between 1 pm and 2 pm.
Following this, three additional operations are planned until August 17. Later, the Landing Module Vikram, with the rover Pragyan inside, will separate from the Propulsion Module.
Following that, de-orbiting manoeuvres will be executed to bring the lander closer to the Moon’s surface, culminating in the definitive powered descent. ISRO has set its sights on attempting a soft landing on the lunar surface on August 23.
