Chandrayaan 3’s Vikram Lander Reveals Initial Moon Videos after Successful Deboosting
The Chandrayaan-3 mission is getting closer to its destination, the moon. The Vikram Lander is set to gently touch down on the moon’s southern pole on August 23. Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shared pictures of the moon taken by the lander’s position detection camera. These images were captured right after the lander was successfully separated from the propulsion module. The Chandrayaan-3 mission aims to explore and study the moon’s surface, and these upcoming events mark significant milestones in the mission’s journey.
‘Vikram’ Lander Undergoes First Successful Deboosting
Part of India’s lunar mission Chandrayaan-3, the Vikram lander successfully completed an important deboosting move on Friday. This maneuver, carried out around 4:00 PM IST, involved slowing down the lander and shifting it to a lower orbit.
For the spacecraft’s launch on August 5, a powerful GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle was employed. Since then, a series of orbital adjustments has been performed to position the spacecraft in the lunar orbit.
A month and three days have passed since the Indian Space Research Organisation initiated the Chandrayaan-3 mission on July 14. The spacecraft’s journey began at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
ISRO is working towards achieving a smooth landing on the moon, a feat accomplished by only the United States, Russia, and China. If successful, India will become the fourth nation to achieve this milestone. Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, has clear goals: achieving a secure and gentle moon landing, enabling a rover to explore the lunar surface, and conducting scientific experiments directly on-site. The mission aims to advance our understanding of the moon and contribute valuable insights to space exploration. As India continues its ambitious space endeavors, the success of Chandrayaan-3 would mark a remarkable achievement in the country’s space journey.
Here are the top points of Chandrayaan-3 or ISRO’s lunar mission:
- ISRO has shared the initial images of Vikram Lander’s first deboosting, confirming the Lander Module (LM) is in good health.
- Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander underwent a crucial deboosting maneuver, adjusting its speed to transition to a slightly lower orbit.
- Deboosting involves reducing speed to position itself in an orbit with the closest point to the Moon (Perilune) at 30 km and the farthest point (Apolune) at 100 km.
- The Chandrayaan-3 mission’s lander is named after Vikram Sarabhai (1919–1971), hailed as the father of India’s space program.
- On Wednesday, the spacecraft executed its final lunar-bound orbit reduction maneuver, a week ahead of its planned landing on the moon’s south pole on August 23.
- Since ISRO’s launch of the Chandrayaan-3 mission on July 14, a month and three days have passed.
- The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft embarked on its journey from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
- Chandrayaan-3’s main goals encompass a safe and gentle landing, rover exploration on the moon’s surface, and conducting on-site scientific experiments.
- The moon holds Earth’s historical records, and a successful lunar mission by India promises to enhance life on our planet and facilitate exploration across the solar system and beyond.
- All maneuvers in the Chandrayaan-3 mission are proceeding according to schedule, with a successful landing anticipated on August 23 at 5.47 pm. The mission continues to captivate interest and pave the way for future space achievements.
The hard work and careful planning show how serious India is about space exploration, and it opens doors for more exciting discoveries in the future. Like this post? Don’t forget to check out our other short stories in our Quick Read section