Chandrayaan-3 ’on schedule’, snaps new Moon images from altitude of about 70 km

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Aug 22, 2023: The Chandrayaan-3 mission is on schedule to attempt a soft landing on the Moon on Wednesday, August 23, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) said.

The space agency said all systems are undergoing regular checks and smooth sailing is continuing.

 

The live telecast of the landing operations will begin at 5:20 pm on August 23, Isro wrote on its X (formerly Twitter) handle.

The countdown began for the landing of the Vikram lander on the surface of the Moon after it officially established contact with the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter.

 

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
The mission is on schedule.
Systems are undergoing regular checks.
Smooth sailing is continuing.

The Mission Operations Complex (MOX) is buzzed with energy & excitement!

The live telecast of the landing operations at MOX/ISTRAC begins at 17:20 Hrs. IST… pic.twitter.com/Ucfg9HAvrY

— ISRO (@isro) August 22, 2023

The space agency also shared the images of the moon captured by the Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC) from an altitude of about 70 km, on August 19, 2023.

LPDC images assist the Lander Module in determining its position (latitude and longitude) by matching them against an onboard moon reference map, it said.

An Isro scientist had earlier said the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 could be pushed to August 27 if conditions are not favourable for the spacecraft to land on the Moon.

However, the mooncraft will land on August 23 as per the schedule, said Nilesh M Desai, Director, Space Applications Centre-Isro, Ahmedabad.

"On August 23, two hours before Chandrayaan-3 lands on the Moon, we will take a decision on whether or not it will be appropriate to land it at that time based on the health of the lander module and the conditions on the Moon. In case, if any factor appears to be not favourable, then we will land the module on the Moon on August 27. No problem should occur and we will be able to land the module on August 23," he told news agency ANI.

Courtesy: India Today