Chandrayaan-3: Vikram Lander inches closer to Moon

Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander module on Friday successfully executed a deboosting manoeuvre in the crucial Moon mission, which set off from the Earth on July 14, and is now gearing up for its much-anticipated soft landing attempt, tentatively scheduled for August 23.

The second deboosting operation will follow on August 20, gradually lowering the module up to 100 km in the lunar orbit, from where the soft landing will be attempted. If successful, this manoeuvre will pave the way for the Vikram Lander and the Pragyan rover to begin their mission.

Which is expected to last for one lunar day equivalent to 14 Earth days. During this period, they will engage in collecting various scientific data. Chandrayaan-3 will make its first soft-landing attempt to the Moon’s south pole region on 23 August.

At present, the Lander module of Chandrayaan-3, comprising Vikram lander and Pragyan rover, after a successful deboosting, reduced their orbit to 113 km x 157 km. The second deboosting operation is scheduled for August 20, 2023, around 2 PM.

Launched on 14 July this year, Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. It will be a historic moment for India if Chandrayaan-3 lands on Moon’s south polar region.

However, India is facing a challenge from Russia, whose Luna-25 is expected to land a day or two earlier. Luna-25 launched on 10 August has taken a more direct route to the moon, and could make a soft landing at Moon’s south polar region on 21 August.

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