Powered Descent Of Chandrayaan-3 Lander Module Begins

The lander module of India's third Moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, has begun its powered descent to land on the lunar surface.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) started the Automatic Landing Sequence (ALS) of the spacecraft at around 5.44 am

In the following 690 seconds, Chandrayaan 3 lander's engines will ignite, gently easing it towards the Moon's surface.

This controlled slowdown will reduce its initial speed, and the pull of the Moon's gravity will guide Vikram Lander downwards at around 60 meters per second.

While slowing down, the lander will change its orientation to align itself perfectly with the landing spot.

Throughout this phase, the lander will descend from an altitude of 30 km to 7.42 km, covering a distance of 713.5 km across the Moon's surface towards the intended landing site.

The lander will enter an "attitude hold phase" at a height of 7.42 km. This phase will last for about 10 seconds as the lander tilts from a horizontal to a vertical position, covering a distance of 3.48 km.

The altitude will be reduced to 6.8 km, with horizontal velocity at 336 m/sec and vertical velocity at 59 m/sec.

During the "fine braking phase", which lasts approximately 175 seconds, the lander will fully transition into a vertical position. It will travel the remaining 28.52 km to the landing site, bringing the altitude down to 800-1,000 m and reaching a nominal speed of 0 m/sec.

The journey from 30 km to 7.42 km will involve rough braking. At 7.42 km, the lander will enter the attitude hold phase, allowing certain instruments to perform calculations.

At altitudes of 800 or 1,300 metres, the sensors will undergo verification. When the altitude reaches 150 metres, a hazard verification will take place. Based on this, the lander will decide whether to land vertically or move laterally within a maximum range of 150 metres to avoid obstacles.