A successful soft landing on the surface of the Moon would make India the fourth country in the world to achieve this technological capability
The spacecraft of Chandrayaan-3, India’s mission to the Moon, has covered about two-thirds of the distance to its destination, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Friday (August 4, 2023). The spacecraft is expected to land on the Moon's surface around August 23 or 24, 2023, covering a distance of over 300,000 km.



"Chandrayaan-3 Mission: The spacecraft has covered about two-thirds of the distance to the moon. Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI) set for Aug 5, 2023, around 19:00 Hrs. IST," tweeted ISRO.



On Monday (August 1, 2023) ISRO had tweeted that the spacecraft’s health was normal. "Today’s perigee burn has successfully raised Chandrayaan-3 orbit to 288 km x 369328 km. In this orbit, the spacecraft enters the moon’s sphere of influence. A crucial maneuvre at perilune would achieve the Lunar Orbit Injection (LOI)," India's space agency said in a tweet.



A successful soft landing on the surface of the Moon would make India the fourth country in the world to achieve such a significant technological capability. “The successful soft landing is envisaged to serve as fore-runners for future landing missions and other technological progress in planetary exploration,” Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space Jitendra Singh said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.



ISRO had successfully launched its Chandrayaan-3 mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, using a Launch Vehicle Mark-3 rocket. The mission aims to land a spacecraft on the moon's surface and conduct scientific experiments to learn more about the Moon's composition.



Chandrayaan-3 is the country's third mission to Earth's natural satellite, the Moon with an approved cost of Rs 250 crores (excluding the launch vehicle cost). Once it successfully lands on the lunar surface, it is expected to operate for a duration of one lunar day, equivalent to approximately 14 Earth days. This timeframe aligns with the unique lunar day-night cycle, which is significantly longer than a typical Earth day.



During this period, the spacecraft will carry out its intended mission, conducting scientific experiments, capturing high-resolution images, and collecting valuable data about the lunar terrain, geology, and atmosphere. agenda will be executed with the assistance of three major components — a Lander, a Rover, and a Propulsion model. It will be using the Orbiter from Chandrayaan-2 which still exists in the lunar atmosphere.