Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully undergoes fifth and final lunar orbit manoeuvre

India's ambitious third Moon mission's spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 is on track. As per the latest update, Chandrayaan-3 is in an orbit of 153 km x 163 km, as intended, ISRO said. Chandrayaan-3 had on Monday underwent another maneuver, bringing it even closer to the Lunar surface.

According to the national space agency, it is time for preparations as the Propulsion Module and the Lander Module gear up for their separate journeys. Separation of the Lander Module from the Propulsion Module is planned for August 17, 2023, ISRO said.

After August 16 manoeuvre, the lander is expected to undergo a "deboost" (the process of slowing down) and make a soft landing on the south polar region of the Moon on August 23. Last week, ISRO Chairman S Somnath had said the most critical part of the landing is the process of bringing the velocity of the lander from 30 km height to the final landing, and that the ability to transfer the spacecraft from horizontal to vertical direction is the "trick we have to play."

"Extensive simulations have gone, guidance design have been changed, and a lot of algorithms have been put in place to make sure that in all these phases required dispersions are handled... to attempt to make a proper landing," he said.