The Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) successfully completed a deceleration maneuver with Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander at 4 p.m., putting it in a much tighter and closer orbit around the Moon.
Isro said the health of the lander Vikram is still normal.
This milestone brings the spacecraft closer to its scheduled soft landing to the Moon's south pole, scheduled for August 23.
The Vikram lander, named after Dr. Vikram A. Sarabhai, father of the Indian space program, was launched into space on an LVM3 rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota on July 14. It entered lunar orbit on August 5 and successfully separated from the thruster module on August 17. Deceleration is an important maneuver that involves slowing down the spacecraft to position itself in an orbit where the furthest point (Apolune) is 157 km away. The Indian space agency will again conduct a deceleration maneuver on Sunday at 8 a.m. midnight
This strategic location serves as the starting point for a planned soft landing attempt on the Moon's south polar region.
During this time, the propulsion module will remain in its current orbit, collecting valuable research data for months or even years.
The scientific payload, Spectrophotometry of Habitable Planets on Earth (SHAPE), on the propulsion module, will perform spectroscopic studies of the Earth's atmosphere and measure variations in polarization of clouds on Earth. Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-up to Chandrayaan-2's mission which aims to land a spacecraft on the moon and deploy a rover to explore the lunar surface.
The rover will collect data on the moon's composition and geology, providing scientists with invaluable insight into the history and evolution of our nearest neighbor.
This mission marks an important step forward in India's space exploration efforts, placing the country on par with countries such as the United States, Russia, and China that have successfully carried out missions to the Moon.
