Chandrayaan-3 conducts final lunar-bound manoeuvre ahead of lander separation on Aug 17

Chandrayaan-3, which entered lunar orbit on August 5, has now entered the most difficult part of the mission – attempting a light landing on the Moon’s south pole. It entered orbit on August 14 at around 11:50 a.m., according to an ISRO statement.
The spacecraft achieved a near-circular orbit by descending to a 150 km x 177 km orbit. As a result, Chandrayaan-3 has now launched in an almost circular orbit – indicating that its orbit around the moon is now almost circular.
ISRO conducted a planned de-orbital maneuver of Chandrayaan-3 through an engine upgrade, gradually approaching the moon. Upon completion of the planned orbital reduction maneuver, a point will be selected at the Moon’s South Pole where the spacecraft will attempt a soft landing. The moon’s south pole has puzzled space agencies and scientists for years, as the presence of water ice could provide key support for the establishment of a future space station. After a 40-day journey, which began on July 14, Chandrayaan-3 is expected to land on the Moon on August 23. Since liftoff from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, all eyes have been on ISRO’s moon mission. , the completion of which would make India the fourth country to make a controlled moon landing after the United States, China and Russia. The success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission has important implications for India’s global standing in the field of space exploration. Successful completion of the mission will not only give India an edge over other countries in the world, but it will also open up a lot of avenues for lunar and space explorations.