-Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander underwent a crucial deboosting manoeuvre and descended to a slightly lower orbit
-Deboosting is the process of powering down or slowing down to position itself in an orbit where the orbit’s closest point to the Moon (Perilune) is 30 km and the farthest point (the Apolune) is 100 km.
-ISRO has informed that Chandrayaan-3 ‘s lander Vikram’s health remains normal after the crucial deboosting
-The Chandrayaan-3 mission’s lander is named after Vikram Sarabhai (1919–1971), who is widely regarded as the father of the Indian space programme.
Lander Module ‘Vikram’, a day after separating from its propulsion Module, has successfully undergone a crucial deboosting manoeuvre. This has put Vikram in an even lower orbit, further closer to the Moon. As India awaits the Moon landing for Chandrayaan-3, scheduled to take place in another 5 days, on 23 August, the successful powering down has brought cheers to Indian Space research organisation (ISRO).
“The Lander Module (LM) health is normal. LM successfully underwent a deboosting operation that reduced its orbit to 113 km x 157 km. The second deboosting operation is scheduled for August 20, 2023, around 0200 Hrs. IST,” tweeted ISRO.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
— ISRO (@isro) August 18, 2023
The Lander Module (LM) health is normal.
LM successfully underwent a deboosting operation that reduced its orbit to 113 km x 157 km.
The second deboosting operation is scheduled for August 20, 2023, around 0200 Hrs. IST #Chandrayaan_3#Ch3 pic.twitter.com/0PVxV8Gw5z