Chandrayaan-3 Covers Two-Thirds Of Journey To Moon, Lunar Orbit Entry Confirmed For 5 August

Chandrayaan-3, India's third moon mission launched on 14 July, has completed approximately two-thirds of its journey towards the moon.

The spacecraft underwent a successful TransLunar Injection (TLI) on August 1, performed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which redirected it towards the moon.

The next crucial phase, the Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI), is scheduled for August 5 around 7 p.m. Indian Standard Time

During this stage, the spacecraft is expected to enter the moon's orbit.

The LOI operation will be executed from ISRO Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.

After launch on 14 July, the Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module, carrying the lander, was put into an elliptical orbit around the Earth by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) heaviest rocket — the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark-III.

With every burn of the onboard propulsion system, the module kept spiralling outwards in increasingly elongated ellipses.

The speed of the propulsion module steadily increased until it reached the escape velocity necessary to break free from Earth's gravity, enabling it to enter a Lunar Transfer Trajectory (LTT) and set a course towards the moon.

The entry of the Chandrayaan-3 module into the LTT was carefully timed to align with the moon's position in its own orbit.

This strategic timing ensures that the module reaches proximity to the moon's orbit precisely when the moon is located in that region.

Once the module reaches this point, a precise manoeuvre will be executed using the onboard propulsion system. This manoeuvre, known as lunar orbit insertion, is designed to reduce the module's velocity.

The gravitational field of the moon will then pull the module into a stable lunar orbit. A successful lunar insertion will complete the crucial phase of placing the spacecraft in orbit around the moon.

Also Read: Explained: Why Chandrayaan-3 Needs Over 40 Days To Reach The Moon When NASA's Apollo 11 Took Only Four