Chandrayan-3 update: The Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) successfully separated the Vikram lander from the propulsion module of the Chandrayaan-3 project today at 1 p.m., marking a critical milestone in India’s lunar exploration.
The spaceship is now one step closer to landing safely on the moon’s surface.
The lander, named after the founder of India’s space programme, Vikram Sarabhai, contains the Pragyan rover. The separation of the lander from the propulsion module is an important step in the mission.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission is now orbiting the Moon at a distance of 153 km x 163 km. The landing place will be chosen as the next significant event.
Despite its difficult topography, the Moon’s south-polar area is a highly valued target for scientists due to the potential existence of significant volumes of ice. This has the potential to be beneficial for extracting fuel, oxygen, and even drinking water.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission aims to demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface and execute in-situ scientific experiments.
Isro has chosen a landing site with a 4 km x 2.4 km area rather than 500 square metres for Chandrayaan-2. This choice was made to give the landing attempt greater leeway.
The Vikram lander and Pragyan rover are expected to land on the lunar surface on August 23.
This mission follows the Chandrayaan-2 mission, which suffered a setback in September 2019 when the Vikram lander strayed from its intended route during the landing attempt, resulting in a loss of communication.
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