Over the weekend, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) turned to the microblogging platform ‘X’ (previously known as Twitter) to unveil the initial photographs of the Moon captured by the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. Chandrayaan-3, India’s third unmanned lunar exploration mission, successfully entered the lunar orbit on Saturday, accomplishing a challenging 41-day journey aimed at reaching the uncharted lunar south pole—a feat never before achieved by any other nation.
The official Twitter account of the mission shared the remarkable view of the Moon as observed by the Chandrayaan-3 during the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) process on August 5, 2023. Notably, shortly after its entry into the lunar orbit, Chandrayaan-3 conveyed a message to ISRO affirming its experience of lunar gravity.
The spacecraft’s message, “I am feeling lunar gravity,” signified the completion of a precise maneuver conducted flawlessly from the space facility in Bengaluru. This milestone event denoted a significant advancement in the ISRO’s ambitious ₹600 crore mission.
The forthcoming step, involving the reduction of Chandrayaan-3’s orbit, is scheduled for Sunday at 11 PM, as indicated by an ISRO tweet. Subsequent to this maneuver, there are three more operations planned until August 17, culminating in the detachment of the Landing Module Vikram—housing the rover Pragyan—from the Propulsion Module. Following this, a series of de-orbiting maneuvers will be performed on the lander, ultimately leading to its controlled descent onto the lunar surface.
Having completed approximately two-thirds of its journey to the Moon since its launch on July 14, the next 18 days are deemed crucial for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The Chandrayaan-3 mission has been progressing seamlessly thus far, with ISRO’s anticipation of a gentle landing by the Vikram lander on the lunar terrain later this month, specifically on August 23. The successful injection into the lunar orbit represents a significant milestone within the framework of the ISRO’s ambitious ₹600 crore Chandrayaan-3 lunar expedition.
