Chandrayaan 3 Latest Update:
India's ambitious third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, has taken another significant step towards its goal. The spacecraft underwent a maneuver on Monday that has brought it into an even closer proximity to the lunar surface, as confirmed by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization). The country's renowned space agency, headquartered here, announced that the spacecraft has now successfully achieved a "near-circular orbit" around the Moon. This progress comes after its launch on July 14, with Chandrayaan-3 entering lunar orbit on August 5. Subsequent to this, two orbital reduction maneuvers were executed on August 6 and 9.
"Phase of orbit circularization initiated. Today's precise maneuver has resulted in achieving an orbit of approximately 150 km x 177 km," stated a tweet from ISRO. The upcoming operation is slated for August 16, around 8:30 am. As the mission unfolds, ISRO is conducting a series of maneuvers to gradually adjust Chandrayaan-3's orbit, positioning it over the lunar poles. According to sources within ISRO, an additional maneuver is planned for August 16 to bring the spacecraft's orbit to 100 km. After this step, the landing module, containing the lander and rover, will separate from the propulsion module.
Following this separation, the lander is anticipated to undergo a "deboost" maneuver to slow down its descent, ultimately achieving a gentle landing in the Moon's south polar region on August 23. Last week, ISRO Chairman S Somnath emphasized the critical nature of the landing process, particularly the challenge of transitioning the lander's velocity from a height of 30 km to the final landing point. He highlighted the intricacy of altering the spacecraft's orientation from horizontal to vertical, referring to it as a crucial maneuver.
He explained, "The initial velocity of the landing process is approximately 1.68 km per second, but this velocity is oriented horizontally to the Moon's surface. The Chandrayaan 3 is tilted at nearly 90 degrees, requiring it to become vertical. The transition from horizontal to vertical involves complex mathematical calculations. We've conducted extensive simulations. This is where we faced challenges previously (with Chandrayaan 2)." Furthermore, it is imperative to ensure minimal fuel consumption, accurate distance calculations, and proper functioning of all algorithms.
"We've conducted thorough simulations, modified guidance designs, and implemented a range of algorithms to manage the necessary variations across these phases... all in pursuit of a successful landing," he elaborated. In the three weeks since its launch on July 14, ISRO executed over five maneuvers to progressively shift the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft into increasingly distant orbits from Earth.
Then, on August 1, a pivotal maneuver was executed—the slingshot maneuver—which successfully propelled the spacecraft from Earth's orbit towards the Moon. Following this trans-lunar injection, Chandrayaan-3 departed from Earth's orbit and embarked on a trajectory leading it towards the vicinity of the Moon. Chandrayaan-3 is a subsequent mission to Chandrayaan-2, designed to demonstrate comprehensive capabilities in secure landing and lunar surface exploration. It incorporates an indigenous propulsion module, lander module, and rover, all with the objective of advancing and showcasing technologies necessary for interplanetary endeavors.
The propulsion module will transport the lander and rover assembly to a lunar orbit of 100 km. This module is equipped with the Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload, designed to conduct spectral and polarimetric measurements of Earth from lunar orbit. Chandrayaan-3's mission objectives encompass demonstrating safe and gentle landing on the lunar surface, showcasing rover mobility on the Moon, and performing in-situ scientific investigations.
The lander is designed to achieve a soft landing at a designated lunar site, releasing the rover which will then conduct on-site chemical analysis of the Moon's surface during its exploratory activities. Both the lander and the rover carry scientific instruments to conduct experiments on the lunar terrain.
