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The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Friday successfully launched its third edition of the Lunar Exploration Program from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. (photo: ISRO/Youtube)
The spacecraft is currently in an orbit of 41,762 km x 173 km, ISRO said in its latest update.
In an update on Saturday, ISRO reported that the Chandrayaan-3 mission is progressing smoothly, with spacecraft health reporting as normal. Successful execution of the first orbital lift maneuver (Earth Launch-1) took place at ISTRAC/ISRO in Bengaluru. The International Space Research Organization said in a tweet on Twitter that the spacecraft is currently in an orbit of 41,762 km x 173 km.
ISRO on Friday successfully launched its third edition of the Lunar Exploration Program from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota.
Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organization in Bengaluru had planned to activate the thrusters aboard Chandrayaan-3 on Saturday. This maneuver aimed to propel the spacecraft on a crucial 41-day trajectory away from Earth, which ultimately led to an important goal: achieving a soft landing at the moon’s south pole on August 23.
According to S Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, the launch vehicle has performed “extremely well” and the initial conditions required for Chandrayaan-3 have been provided “very meticulously”.
Nair explained that since the first stage of the experiment has a hundred percent success rate, the spacecraft itself is in excellent condition and has the ability to travel autonomously to the Moon, using its onboard propulsion system and logic.
After the launch, Chandrayaan-3 P Veeramuthuvel project manager said on Friday that ISRO will maintain close monitoring and control of the spacecraft from the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command (ISTRAC) network located in Bengaluru.
After the successful launch on Friday, ISRO President Somanath expressed that the coming days will be “hectic”. According to plan, a translunar injection is scheduled for August 1, followed by four Earthbound maneuvers. Lunar injection will happen.
Somanath further outlined the schedule, stating that the separation of the thrust module from the lander is scheduled for August 17, while the final landing is currently scheduled for August 23 at 5.47pm.
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