Chandrayaan-3 lander separated; Only seven days left for soft landing

CHENNAI: The Propulsion Module - Lander separation, a critical phase of the Chandrayaan 3 mission, has been successful. 33 days after the launch of Chandrayaan, the lander left the propulsion module and began its journey to the moon.

With this, the lander started preparations to land on the moon. That is the goal of Chandrayaan 3 is to land the lander on the moon, eject the rover from the lander and walk through the lunar soil. Only seven days left. Chandrayaan 3 is expected to land on the moon on August 23 around 5.45 pm. The first step will take place tomorrow at 4 o'clock for a quick descent using the thruster engine.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:

‘Thanks for the ride, mate! 👋’
said the Lander Module (LM).

LM is successfully separated from the Propulsion Module (PM)

LM is set to descend to a slightly lower orbit upon a deboosting planned for tomorrow around 1600 Hrs., IST.

Now, 🇮🇳 has3⃣ 🛰️🛰️🛰️… pic.twitter.com/rJKkPSr6Ct

— ISRO (@isro) August 17, 2023

The deboost process will put the lander into a long circular orbit about 30 km close to the moon. When it reaches a height of 30 km from the moon, the speed of the lander will slow down and stop vertically. Then it will descend slowly and steeply towards the moon.

Chandrayaan 3, which took off on July 14, reached its destination on the 33rd day yesterday. It is now 3.6 lakh km away from Earth.

The challenge

Landing safely on the moon, which has only one-sixth the gravity of Earth, is a huge challenge. Chandrayaan 2 crashed during this part of the mission. ISRO is confident that Chandrayaan 3 will make a soft landing no matter what happens.

Three more steps

1. Deboost the lander and bring it closer to the south pole

2. Look for the landing spot and operate the signal motors

3. Soft landing on the moon.