Chandrayaan-3 moves closer to moon as it undergoes another successful orbit reduction

Mission director S Mohana Kumar said the LVM3 rocket once again proved to be the most reliable heavy-lift vehicle of ISRO. | Latest News India

As the scientific community is waiting with bated breath aiming for the successful launch of the third edition of India’s Moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, on Friday, here is a quick look at how the country’s lunar expedition evolved over the years.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several prominent personalities across the world congratulated the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) following the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3, Indias third moon mission and second attempt to make a soft lunar landing. Modi called the launch a “new chapter in Indias space odyssey” while others including representatives from NASA and the Australian High Commission also sent their congratulations.

Chandrayaan-3 is India's second attempt to land on the surface of the Moon and the third Lunar mission of the country. It is developed at an estimated cost of Rs 615 crore

After a gap of nearly 50 years, Russia is planning to launch a lunar mission on August 11 and enter the race to become the first nation to land a rover on the Moon's south pole -- a potential source of water to support a future human presence there.

India's spacecraft Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander underwent a crucial deboosting manoeuvre, positioning itself in an orbit where the closest point to the Moon is 30 km and the farthest point is 100 km. The lander has been through a series of orbital manoeuvres and its scheduled landing is on August 23. Chandrayaan-3 follows up on India's Chandrayaan-2 mission, which faced challenges during its soft landing on the lunar surface in 2019.

Four years after India's hopes dashed on the far side of the Moon, Isro is ready to give it another shot with Chandrayaan-3 and land on the surface of the Moon

India will attempt a Moon landing this week, with its Chandrayaan-3 mission. This third mission from the Indian Space Research Organisation aims to become the first to conclusively discover evidence of water on the Moon, as well as explore the lunar south pole. However, as well as providing national pride for India, its space agency will be hoping a successful mission will have a real impact on the country's economy.

Isro Chairman S Somanath expressed confidence in the mission's progress, stating that the most critical phase will be the orbit determination process.