After a fortnight since its triumphant launch from Sriharikota, Chandrayaan-3 flawlessly completed its orbital journey around Earth and commenced its onward trajectory towards the moon, marking the commencement of the mission's next pivotal phase, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) joyfully announced in the late hours of Monday night.
The soaring spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3, embarked on its odyssey from the prestigious Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, and with each passing moment, it continues to carve its path towards the lunar realm, guided by the expert hands of ISRO.
"Chandrayaan-3 Mission: The enigmatic spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3, gracefully wraps up its circumterrestrial orbits, embarking on its celestial odyssey towards the Moon. The triumphant perigee-firing at ISTRAC has seamlessly inserted the spacecraft into its translunar orbit. Our destination: the Moon. As it ventures closer to our lunar neighbor, the momentous Lunar-Orbit Insertion (LOI) is meticulously scheduled for Aug 5, 2023," proclaimed ISRO in a jubilant tweet, celebrating the successful lunar injection and the beginning of the lunar voyage.
The lunar injection operation was carried out with precision between the late hours of 12 am and 12:30 am on the joyous Monday, as confirmed by the esteemed officials at ISRO.
Speaking of the ongoing mission, ISRO officials confidently affirmed that the Chandrayaan-3 journey has adhered to its meticulously planned timeline, and the spacecraft's health continues to remain in optimal condition, auguring well for the ambitious mission ahead.
Furthermore, an intriguing video capturing Chandrayaan-3's celestial sojourn in deep space has been captured and shared by a Polish telescope, adding to the excitement surrounding the mission.
On the eventful day of July 14, in the afternoon hours, Chandrayaan-3 was resoundingly launched into its orbit by the diligent hands of ISRO, on-board the highly efficient Launch Vehicle Mark-3, fondly known as the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk-III. The voyage is expected to extend for a duration of 40 days, culminating with a delicate and precise soft landing near the moon's alluring south pole, propelling India to the prestigious position of being the fourth nation to accomplish a successful lunar surface landing and the very first nation to achieve a soft landing near the lunar south pole.
Chandrayaan-3 follows in the illustrious footsteps of its predecessor, Chandrayaan-2, with a determined objective of demonstrating comprehensive capabilities in secure landing and roving across the enigmatic lunar terrain. The spacecraft takes the form of a synergistic lander and rover configuration, carried with grace by a propulsion module until it achieves a remarkable lunar orbit, a mere 100 km above the lunar surface.
The mission brochure, thoughtfully released by ISRO ahead of the launch, highlights the propulsion module's invaluable "Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE)" payload, aimed at conducting a thorough study of spectral and Polarimetric measurements of Earth, all while stationed in the captivating lunar orbit.
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