India’s ambitious moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, has achieved a significant milestone as it completed its orbit around Earth and set its course towards the Moon. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed the spacecraft’s entry “into the translunar orbit” at midnight, marking a critical step towards the lunar landing. The Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) for preparing the spacecraft for the moon landing is scheduled for August 5. The much-awaited soft landing on the moon’s surface is anticipated to occur around August 23 or 24.
According to an ISRO official, after the successful trans-lunar injection (TLI) on Tuesday, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft departed from Earth’s orbit and is now following a trajectory that will bring it close to the Moon. In simpler terms, the spacecraft began its journey to the Moon on Tuesday, after executing the TLI maneuver, which set it on a “lunar transfer trajectory.”
The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14, onboard the LVM3-M4 rocket, from Sriharikota. The launch event drew thousands of spectators outside the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, eager to witness India’s pursuit of becoming the fourth country to achieve a controlled lunar landing, following the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China.
A distinguishing aspect of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is its planned landing at the lunar south pole, an area of particular interest due to the presence of water ice. The mission carries the hopes of learning more about this enigmatic region, which holds potential scientific significance.
This mission comes after the Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2020, which successfully deployed an orbiter around the Moon, but faced an unfortunate crash of its lander and rover near the intended touchdown site.
The name “Chandrayaan” translates to “moon vehicle” in Sanskrit, capturing the essence of India’s exploration journey to unravel the mysteries of the lunar surface.
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