Chandrayaan-3, India’s third unmanned Moon mission, achieved a significant milestone by successfully entering lunar orbit on Saturday. The Chandrayaan-3 mission has captivated with its stunning first-ever images of the Moon. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shared a video clip of this captivating moment on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday. The footage revealed intricate details of the Moon’s craters as the spacecraft approached the surface. With less than 20 days left before the anticipated soft landing, excitement is building for the mission’s next milestone.
Having covered two-thirds of the total distance so far, the spacecraft conveyed a message to ISRO saying, ‘I am feeling lunar gravity,’ signifying its proximity to the Moon. Over the course of three weeks since its launch on July 14, the craft executed more than five manoeuvres to overcome Earth’s gravity and position itself closer to its destination. This accomplishment marks a major step forward in the ambitious mission.
Here’s what ISRO tweeted:
The Moon, as viewed by #Chandrayaan3 spacecraft during Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) on August 5, 2023.#ISRO pic.twitter.com/xQtVyLTu0c
— LVM3-M4/CHANDRAYAAN-3 MISSION (@chandrayaan_3) August 6, 2023
Chandrayaan-3 has traversed over three lakh kilometres in space, bridging the distance between Earth and the Moon since it departed from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on July 14, 2023, aboard the LVM-3 rocket. After completing its orbits around Earth on August 1, the spacecraft embarked on its trans-lunar journey, heading towards the Moon. The successful injection into the lunar orbit represents a significant milestone in the space agency’s ambitious ₹600 crore mission.
Amidst the nation’s high expectations, Vikram, the lander aboard Chandrayaan-3, is anticipated to undertake a challenging touchdown on the mysterious lunar south pole on August 23. The Moon’s south pole is a captivating and largely unexplored region on the lunar surface, offering significant opportunities for research and discovery.
As Chandrayaan approaches the Moon, the involvement of ground-based observatories like Poland’s ROTUZ and Italy’s Virtual Telescope Project becomes crucial in documenting and comprehending its extraordinary celestial journey. These observatories can provide valuable observations and insights to enhance our understanding of the mission’s progress and findings.
This remarkable feat has engraved yet another flag on our victories- Indian scientists have worked day in and day out to deliver the best for the upcoming generation one of which is Chandrayaan-3 captivating the moon.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed for the successful days to come!
