Chandrayaan 3 successfully on 1st August, i.e, today completed its Trans Lunar Injection (TLI). After staying in the Earth’s orbit for 2 weeks, the spacecraft will now begin its journey toward the moon. Chandrayaan 3 is slated to enter the moon’s orbit 4 days later on 5th August 2023.
Meanwhile, for the upcoming 18 days, the Chandrayaan 3 will orbit the moon, and when the integrated spacecraft enters the moon’s orbital space, it will slowly start descending the orbit before obtaining a circular orbit of around 100 x 100 km. It is scheduled that the lander and rover will land on the moon on 23 August after a final descent at this distance, if everything goes according to plan.
Instead of simply aiming for the moon, both the current and past Indian missions have cleverly harnessed the earth’s gravity to boost their velocity. They achieved this by circling around the earth, gradually increasing their orbit, and gaining the necessary momentum.
The integrated spacecraft will touchdown at 69.36°S and 32.34°E at 5.47 pm, and the location is in close proximity to the southern pole of the moon. This region was carefully selected due to some compelling reasons. Notably, numerous craters in this area remain perpetually shaded, making it a potential storehouse for valuable resources such as water ice, and precious minerals.
ISRO on the successful TLI tweeted,
“Chandrayaan-3 completes its orbit around the Earth and heads towards the Moon. A successful perigee-firing performed at ISTRAC, ISRO has injected the spacecraft into the translunar orbit. As it arrives at the moon, the Lunar-Orbit Insertion (LOI) is planned for Aug 5, 2023.”
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:Chandrayaan-3 completes its orbits around the Earth and heads towards the Moon.
A successful perigee-firing performed at ISTRAC, ISRO has injected the spacecraft into the translunar orbit.
Next stop: the Moon 🌖
As it arrives at the moon, the… pic.twitter.com/myofWitqdi
— ISRO (@isro)
July 31, 2023
Consisting of a propulsion module and a lander module, the separation of the two will take place on 17 August. The moon soft landing will also involve a series of deboost maneuvers before the power descent phase.
For the mission’s ‘Vikram’ lander to effectively utilize available sunlight and power its science payloads, sensors, and communication systems, it must execute its landing on the Lunar surface, it must land on the moon at the start of the Lunar day.
By doing so, it can harness the energy from solar panels and store it in batteries, enabling the smooth operation of its various instruments, data-gathering capabilities, and seamless communication back to Earth. Timing the landing at the start of the Lunar Day is crucial for the successful execution of the mission’s objectives.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn