close_game
close_game

Propulsion module successfully separated from Chandrayaan-3’s lander: ISRO

Aug 17, 2023 02:18 PM IST

The space agency will now be conducting a de-boosting manoeuvre before the spacecraft attempts to land on the surface of the moon on August 23

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday afternoon successfully separated the propulsion module of Chandrayaan-3 from its lander module, commencing the last leg of India’s journey to the moon, the space agency said.

Chandrayaan-3 consists of an indigenous lander module (LM), propulsion module (PM) and a rover. (ISRO)
Chandrayaan-3 consists of an indigenous lander module (LM), propulsion module (PM) and a rover. (ISRO)

“Chandrayaan-3 Mission: ‘Thanks for the ride, mate!’. 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 hours IST. Now, India has 3 satellites around moon,” ISRO posted from its official X (formerly called as Twitter) handle on Thursday.

The space agency will now be conducting a de-boosting manoeuvre before the spacecraft attempts to land on the surface of the moon on August 23.

Also Read: Chandrayaan-3 completes fifth and final moon-bound manoeuvre

After separating from the propulsion module, the landing phase of the spacecraft will commence, where the space agency will perform a series of complex braking manoeuvres to facilitate a soft landing.

After the landing, the rover will roll off the lander and explore the lunar region for experiments for the next 14 days—one lunar day.

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-up mission to Chandrayaan-2, which aims to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.

The spacecraft comprises a lander and rover configuration, which is being carried by a propulsion module till 100 km lunar orbit.

According to the latest mission brochure released by ISRO ahead of the launch, the propulsion module has ‘Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE)’ payload to study the spectral and Polari metric measurements of earth from the lunar orbit.

On Wednesday, the space agency successfully completed the final lunar orbit manoeuvre, placing the spacecraft at an orbit of 153km x 163 km.

A follow-up mission to the 2019 Chandrayaan-2, the latest programme aims to achieve three objectives—to demonstrate safe and soft landing on the moon surface, which could not be achieved during Chandrayaan-2, to demonstrate rover abilities on the moon surface and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

Senior scientists from the department of space explained that Chandrayaan-3 consists of an indigenous lander module (LM), propulsion module (PM) and a rover, with an objective of developing and demonstrating new technologies required for interplanetary missions.

The lander will have the capability to soft land at a specified lunar site and deploy the rover, which will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during the course of its mobility.

rec-icon Recommended Topics
Share this article
Get Current Updates on India News, Weather Today, Latest News at Hindustan Times.
See More
Get Current Updates on India News, Weather Today, Latest News at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On