Chandrayaan-3 successfully completes final earth orbit-raising manoeuvre, reveals ISRO

On Tuesday, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft performed its fifth and final orbit-raising maneuver in preparation for lunar insertion. The next phase is to switch to an Earth-to-Moon trajectory, where the gravity of the Moon will eventually draw it into lunar orbit. The ultimate goal is to land softly on the lunar surface.

“The orbit-raising manoeuvre (Earth-bound perigee firing) is performed successfully from ISTRAC/ISRO, Bengaluru. The spacecraft is expected to attain an orbit of 127609 km x 236 km. The achieved orbit will be confirmed after the observations,” Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) tweeted.

The next firing, the Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI), is scheduled for August 1 between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m. IST.

On July 14, India’s third moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, lifted out from the Satish Dhawan Space Station in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota. On August 23, it is expected to reach the moon’s South Pole for a gentle landing with a lander and rover.

By doing so, India would join a select group of nations (the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China) that have accomplished the accomplishment.