Chandrayaan-3 Vikram Lander completes deboosting, one step away from landing

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) successfully completed the deboosting maneuver with the Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander at 4 pm bring it in a much tighter, and closer orbit around the Moon.

Isro said that the health of the Vikram lander is normal.

This critical step brings the spacecraft closer to its planned soft landing on the Moon’s south polar region, scheduled for August 23.

The Vikram lander, named after Dr. Vikram A Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space program, was launched into space by the LVM3 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 14. It entered lunar orbit on August 5 and successfully separated from its propulsion module on August 17.

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The deboosting process was a crucial maneuver that involved slowing down the spacecraft to position itself in an orbit where the farthest point (Apolune) is 157 km. The Indian space agency will again conduct a deboosting maneuver on Sunday at 8:00 pm.

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This strategic positioning serves as the starting point for the anticipated soft landing attempt on the Moon’s south polar region.

Meanwhile, the propulsion module will remain in its current orbit, collecting valuable research data over the course of potentially months or even years.

The scientific payload, Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE), onboard the propulsion module, will conduct a spectroscopic study of the Earth’s atmosphere and measure the variations in polarisation from the clouds on Earth.

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-up mission to Chandrayaan-2 that aims to land a spacecraft on the moon and deploy a rover to explore the lunar surface.

The rover will collect data on the composition and geology of the moon, providing scientists with invaluable insights into the history and evolution of our nearest celestial neighbor.

This mission marks a significant advancement in India’s space exploration endeavors, placing the nation alongside the likes of the US, Russia, and China who have successfully carried out missions to the Moon.