August 20th 2023.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Sunday that the second and final deboosting operation of Chandrayaan-3 was carried out successfully. This operation reduced the lunar module's orbit to 25 km x 134 km. Following this, the module will undergo internal checks and will await the sunrise at the designated landing site. The powered descent is scheduled to begin on August 23, 2023, at 1745 hrs IST.
Earlier on Friday, Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander underwent a deboosting manoeuvre and descended to a lower orbit, after successfully getting separated from the propulsion module. ISRO stated that the lander's health is normal and the second deboosting operation is planned for August 20, 2023, at 0200 hrs IST.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission is ISRO's attempt to make a successful soft landing on the moon, which will make India the fourth country after the United States, Russia, and China to achieve the feat. The approved cost of the mission is Rs 250 crores and the stated objectives are safe and soft landing, rover roving on the moon's surface, and in-situ scientific experiments.
The Vikram lander is named after Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme. Moon serves as a repository of the Earth's past and Chandrayaan-3 will help enhance life on Earth while enabling the exploration of the rest of the solar system and beyond. Historically, spacecraft missions to the Moon have mainly targeted the equatorial region due to its favourable conditions, but the lunar south pole presents a more challenging terrain.
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