Chandrayaan-3 mission: Successful manoeuvre sets stage for next phase

India's lunar exploration endeavour, the Chandrayaan-3 mission, has achieved a milestone as it successfully completed the orbit circularisation phase, marking a crucial step towards its goals.

A meticulously executed manoeuvre has resulted in the spacecraft attaining a near-circular orbit, with dimensions of 150 km x 177 km.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the precise manoeuvre, conducted with precision and expertise, has laid the foundation for the next operation in the mission's timeline. The upcoming operation is scheduled for August 16, 2023, at approximately 08:30 am.

GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3), a heavy-lift launch vehicle that successfully launched the Chandrayaan-3 satellite, underwent a planned orbit lowering manoeuvre on August 6, according to ISRO, putting it closer to the moon.

The next similar operation, according to the space agency, will happen on August 9.

"The spacecraft successfully underwent a planned orbit reduction manoeuvre. The retrofitting of engines brought it closer to the Moon's surface, now to 170 km x 4313 km.

The next operation to further reduce the orbit is scheduled for August 9, between 13:00 and 14:00 hours IST," the ISRO tweeted on August 7.

The first photos of the moon taken by Chandrayaan-3, India's third lunar mission, were released by the space agency on August 7.

After entering the Moon's orbit on August 5, Chandrayan-3 took pictures of the lunar surface. (ANI)

On July 14, the GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle carrying the spacecraft successfully launched off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.