India’s space agency, ISRO, has achieved a major milestone as its ambitious Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has departed from Earth’s orbit and started its journey towards the Moon.
ISRO confirmed the success of placing Chandrayaan-3 into the translunar orbit, which means the spacecraft has completed its orbit around Earth and is now on its way to the Moon’s orbit through a path called ‘Lunar Transfer Trajectory’.
The next crucial step, known as ‘Lunar-Orbit Insertion’ (LOI), is planned for August 5, when the spacecraft will enter the Moon’s orbit after leaving Earth’s orbit at midnight on Monday. On August 17, the lander module will separate from the population module, and the lander will safely touch down on the Moon’s surface on August 23 at 5.47 pm.
ISRO officials have confirmed that the launch operation went as per schedule, and the spacecraft is in normal condition.
Chandrayaan-3 consists of a lander, a rover, and a propulsion module. The lander and rover will conduct experiments at the Moon’s south pole for 14 days. ISRO aims to study lunar surface earthquakes and analyze lunar soil during this mission. The agency plans to softly land the lander on the Moon’s surface on August 23.
