ISRO Chandrayaan-3 Lunar Orbit Confirmed

India is gearing up for its second lunar landing attempt as the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully arrived in lunar orbit.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) confirmed the milestone after Chandrayaan-3 executed a roughly 30-minute burn at approximately 9:30 a.m. Eastern time, allowing the spacecraft to enter an elliptical lunar orbit. The achievement was announced by ISRO via social media.

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Chandrayaan-3 journey continues as it gradually alters its orbit through a series of burns with the first scheduled for Sunday, August 6. These lunar orbit reduction burns will reduce its apolune until it settles into a circular polar orbit at an altitude of 100 kilometers.

The next critical step in the mission involves the separation of the Vikram lander from the mission's propulsion module. The Vikram lander will then enter a 35 x 100-kilometer orbit, preparing itself for the final descent and the eagerly anticipated soft landing attempt on August 23.

The primary landing site is strategically chosen in the vicinity of the lunar South Pole region, situated at 69.37 degrees south latitude and 32.35 degrees east longitude. No Moon mission has ever attempted a landing at a lower latitude, making this endeavor even more challenging and groundbreaking.

Track Chandrayaan-3 on its journey to the surface of the Moon with our 24/7 Chandrayaan-3 Live Tracker

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Chandrayaan-3, the successor to the Chandrayaan-2 mission, holds tremendous significance for India's space exploration ambitions. The Chandrayaan-2 mission, launched in 2019, experienced a failure during its landing attempt, but the orbiter continues to operate successfully and gather valuable data from lunar orbit.

The current Chandrayaan-3 mission includes a propulsion module, the Vikram lander, and the Pragyan rover. If successful, it will solidify India's position as the fourth country in the world to achieve a lunar landing, following the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China.