ISRO Successfully Performs First Orbit Raising Manoeuvre for Chandrayaan-3 Spacecraft

New Delhi, July 16, 2023: In a significant achievement, scientists at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully conducted the first orbit-raising manoeuvre for the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on Saturday. The space agency reported that the health of the spacecraft is “normal” after the operation.

Chandrayaan-3 is now in an orbit that varies from 173 kilometers to 41,762 kilometers away from Earth. The successful manoeuvre marks a crucial step in the mission’s objective to achieve a soft landing on the unexplored south pole of the Moon.

On July 14, ISRO launched the third edition of its lunar exploration program from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The mission aims to make a soft landing on the Moon’s uncharted south pole, a feat previously achieved by only three countries—the United States, China, and Russia.

Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, S Unnikrishnan Nair, stated that the scientists at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru will now engage in firing the onboard thrusters attached to Chandrayaan-3. This crucial 41-day phase will propel the spacecraft further away from Earth, preparing it for the soft landing on the Moon’s surface, scheduled for August 23.

“The vehicle system has performed extremely well. Because of that, whatever the initial conditions the spacecraft needed, we have provided very precisely,” Nair emphasized during a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram.

ISRO will closely monitor and control the spacecraft from ISTRAC, overseeing various critical events, including Earth-bound manoeuvres, insertion into lunar orbit, separation of the lander, deboost manoeuvres, and the final power descent phase for the soft landing.

The successful execution of the first orbit raising manoeuvre brings ISRO one step closer to achieving its lunar exploration goals and cementing India’s position as a prominent player in space exploration.