ISRO will perform crucial operation on Chandrayaan-3 around 7pm tomorrow
What's the story
Chandrayaan-3 is just a couple of weeks away from creating history. The spacecraft has covered about two-thirds of its journey to the Moon, per the Indian Space Research Agency (ISRO). The mission's next operation, Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI), will happen on August 5, around 7:00pm. If everything goes well, Chandrayaan-3 will make a soft landing near the Moon's south pole on August 23.
Twitter Post
Take a look at ISRO's post
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
— ISRO (@isro) August 4, 2023
The spacecraft has covered about two-thirds of the distance to the moon.
Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI) set for Aug 5, 2023, around 19:00 Hrs. IST. pic.twitter.com/MhIOE65w3V
Update
The mission reached the translunar orbit on August 1
Earlier this week, the mission took a major step forward. It made its way to the translunar orbit on August 1, after completing five Earth-bound maneuvers. The next operation, LOI, will be a crucial one. The speed of the spacecraft will be precisely controlled so that it can be captured by the Moon's gravitational forces into a stable orbit.
Information
Controlling Chandrayaan-3's speed will be key
If the upcoming LOI operation is not successful, it would have serious consequences. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft could either crash into the Moon or could be sent far away from it as a result of Earth's gravitational forces.
Mission highlights
The mission will perform numerous scientific investigations
If Chandrayaan-3 accomplishes a soft landing on the Moon, it will score a significant milestone for India. So far, only three nations have been able to manage a controlled landing on the Moon. The mission will then perform a slew of scientific investigations on the Moon. It is carrying several payloads including one from NASA to help with lunar ranging studies.