Chandrayaan 3: ISRO Says Mission On Schedule, Shares Images Of Moon From Altitude Of 70 KM
Chandrayaan 3 Landing: ISRO, in its latest update on Chandrayaan 3 soft landing, said the mission was on schedule and smooth sailing was continuing.
Chandrayaan 3 Landing: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday said the Chandrayaan 3 mission was on schedule and shared images of the moon captured by the Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC) from an altitude of about 70 km.
"The mission is on schedule. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing," ISRO tweeted.
With just a day left for the Chandrayaan-3's lander module to land on the lunar surface, ISRO said the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) was buzzing with energy and excitement.
"The live telecast of the landing operations at MOX/ISTRAC begins at 17:20 hours IST on August 23, 2023," ISRO said.
The space agency also released images of the moon captured by the Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC) from an altitude of about 70 km.
"LPDC images assist the Lander Module in determining its position (latitude and longitude) by matching them against an onboard moon reference map," ISRO tweeted.
READ | Chandrayaan-3 Moon Landing's '15 Minutes Of Terror' To Involve Critical Manoeuvres
The lander (Vikram), which carries a rover (Pragyan) in its belly, is expected to touch down near the south polar region around 6.04 pm. If successful, India will become the first country to reach the south pole of Earth's only natural satellite.
A former scientist at ISRO told ABP Live that the period before touchdown was critical and involved complex manoeuvres. "The crucial moments during the last 15 minutes before touchdown encapsulate intricate manoeuvres, intense calculations, and an unwavering commitment to exploring the Moon's mysteries," said Manish Purohit, a former ISRO scientist who was involved in the Chandrayaan-2 and Mangalyaan projects.
India's second attempt in four years to land a rover on the lunar surface comes days after Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the Moon after spinning out of control.
If the Chandrayaan 3 mission succeeds, India will become only the fourth country to make a soft-landing on the Moon's surface after the US, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union.
The mission, worth Rs 600 crore, was launched on July 14 onboard Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket.
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