Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander successfully separates from spacecraft

New Delhi: Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander successfully separated from the rest of the spacecraft and its propulsion module on Thursday, moving a crucial step closer to Moon.

The spacecraft is now expected to land on the Moon on August 23.

With this, India aims to become the fourth nation globally to achieve this remarkable milestone, joining the company of the United States, Russia, and China.

After landing on the Moon, the lander Vikram will photograph the Pragyaan rover, which will deploy its instruments to study seismic activity on the lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission: ‘Thanks for the ride, mate!’ said the Lander Module (LM). LM is successfully separated from the Propulsion Module (PM). LM is set to descend to a slightly lower orbit upon a deboosting planned for tomorrow around 1600 Hrs., IST.”, ISRO tweeted announcing the successful completion of the crucial stage.

The mission was launched effectively on July 14 via the GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota.

After its on-board instruments, including three scientific payloads, are tested, the Lander will then carry out two critical orbit-reduction manoeuvres: first, to get into the circular 100×100 km orbit, and then further closer to the Moon in the 100×30 km orbit. It is from this 100×30 km orbit that the Lander will, on August 23, begin its final descent for touchdown on the Moon, reports The Indian Express.

Earlier this week, the spacecraft brought itself into a near-circular 153×163 km orbit. This was the fourth and final orbit-reducing manoeuvre performed by the spacecraft, which comprises a Propulsion Module and the lander component, which includes the rover.

Also Read: Chandrayaan-3 gets closer to moon, achieves near-circular orbit: ISRO