The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on August 22, 2023, shared stunning glimpses of the Moon captured by Chandrayaan-3's Lander Image Camera 4 on August 20, 2023. Earlier in the day, ISRO said in a mission update that the Chandrayaan-3 mission is on schedule, the systems are undergoing regular checks, and that smooth sailing is continuing.
The Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC) captured mesmerising images of the Moon from an altitude of about 70 kilometres above the lunar surface, on August 19. ISRO shared these images on X on August 22. Images captured by LPDC are important because they allow the Lander Module to determine its position on the Moon by matching the location against an onboard reference map.
Chandrayaan-3 is expected to land on the lunar south pole on August 23, 2023, at 6:07 pm IST. However, the landing may be delayed if conditions are unfavourable, a senior ISRO scientist told ABP Live. If Chandrayaan-3's landing is delayed by three to four days, the spacecraft is likely to operate on the lunar surface for 10 days, instead of 14 Earth days.
Chandrayaan-3 will undergo complex manoeuvres during the last 15 minutes of the mission, known as the '15 minutes of terror'. Controlled manoeuvres during the phases of descent will lead to a successful landing on the lunar south pole.
Chandrayaan-3 carries sufficient fuel to allow a slight delay in landing in case conditions are not favourable.
India will make history as the first country to softly land on a spacecraft on the lunar south pole if Chandrayaan-3 successfully lands on the Moon's south pole.
The phases of descent are initial preparation, velocity reduction, orientation change, attitude hold phase, fine braking, final descent, and touchdown, a former ISRO scientist told ABP Live.
After Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander and Pragyan rover land on the Moon, images captured by the cameras on board the spacecraft will be shared with Earth.