Chandrayaan-3: Lander successfully separates from propulsion module

• Image Credit: Google

• Aug 17, 2023 | Dhupali Das

The Vikram lander successfully separated from the rest of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft...

Digital Desk: The Vikram lander successfully separated from the rest of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft and its propulsion module on Thursday, kicking off the final phase of India's Moon mission.

The mission is one step closer to completing its critical aim of soft-landing on the Moon on August 23. India aims to become the fourth country to achieve this milestone.

Announcing the successful completion of this crucial stage, ISRO tweeted: "Lander Module (LM) is set to descend to a slightly lower orbit upon a deboosting planned for tomorrow around 1600 Hrs., IST."

Now that the lander has separated from the propulsion module, it will complete the remainder of its journey to the moon on its own.

The main spacecraft is made up of two components. The lander module, which also contains the rover, is designed to journey to the moon, while the leftover, known as the propulsion module, whose sole purpose was to transport the lander module to moon orbit, would continue to orbit the moon for months, possibly even years.

So, what is the next step for the Vikram lander?

After testing its on-board instruments, which include three scientific payloads, the Lander will perform two important orbit-reduction maneuvers: first, to enter the circular 100×100 km orbit, and subsequently, to come closer to the Moon in the 100×30 km orbit. On August 23, the Lander will begin its final descent for a landing on the Moon from this 100×30 kilometer orbit.

The spacecraft moved closer to the moon earlier this week when it entered a near-circular 153×163 km orbit. This was the fourth and last orbit-reducing maneuver executed by the spacecraft, which consists of a Propulsion Module and the lander component, which includes the rover.