Chandrayaan-3, after more than two weeks of maneuvers around Earth and completing five orbit-raising moves, is now set for a critical trans lunar injection (TLI) tonight between 12 midnight to 1 am IST. During this maneuver, its thrusters will propel the spacecraft beyond Earth’s gravity and into the moon’s orbit.
The spacecraft’s trajectory has been adjusted through previous orbit-raising maneuvers to achieve a trajectory of 127,603 km x 236 km, and now the thrusters will be activated again to transfer it to a moon orbit. The powerful burn will enable it to enter the moon’s sphere of influence, leading to a hyperbolic lunar swingby and setting it on course to intercept the Moon.
Upon reaching the Moon, the propulsion module will gently lower Chandrayaan-3 to a circular, 100-kilometer orbit. Then, the lander will separate and perform a soft landing in the Moon’s south polar region on August 23, as scheduled by ISRO.
Chandrayaan-3 aims to achieve objectives similar to Chandrayaan-2, including a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, showcasing the mobility of the Rover on the Moon’s terrain, and conducting scientific experiments on the lunar surface.
