• Chandrayaan-3 finally leaves Earth, begins journey to Moon: ISRO

    Sci & Tech
    Chandrayaan-3 finally leaves Earth, begins journey to Moon: ISRO
    The scientific equipment that carries Chandrayaan-3 is intended to investigate several features of the lunar surface...

    Digital Desk: India launched its ambitious Chandrayaan-3 mission to the Moon on July 14. The spacecraft successfully carried out its fifth orbit-raising operation and finished its orbits around the planet on Tuesday.

    Chandrayaan-3 then started its 3.8 lakh kilometre journey to the Moon. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the Lunar-Orbit Insertion (LOI) will take place on August 5.

    "Chandrayaan-3 completes its orbits around the Earth and heads towards the Moon. A successful perigee-firing performed at ISTRAC, ISRO has injected the spacecraft into the translunar orbit," Isro said in a tweet on Tuesday.

    On July 14, 2023, Chandrayaan-3 was launched from Sriharikota's Satish Dhawan Space Center. Since then, it has completed five orbit-raising missions successfully, advancing toward its ultimate goal: the moon.

    According to an Isro official speaking to news agency PTI, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft escaped from orbiting the Earth after the trans-lunar injection (TLI) and is currently heading into the Moon's vicinity.

    Isro had previously stated that it will attempt a soft touchdown of the lander on the lunar surface on August 23.

    The scientific equipment that carries Chandrayaan-3 is intended to investigate several features of the lunar surface, such as the elemental composition near the landing site on the Moon, the lunar seismicity, the lunar surface plasma environment, and the thermophysical characteristics of the lunar regolith.