THE lander module of India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft comprising the lander and rover has successfully separated from the propulsion module, ISRO said on Thursday (17).
In the next step, the lander module will descend to a slightly lower orbit around the Moon on Friday (18), the space agency said.
"Thanks for the ride, mate! said the Lander Module (LM). LM is successfully separated from the Propulsion Module (PM). LM is set to descend to a slightly lower orbit upon a deboosting planned for tomorrow around 1600 Hrs, IST," ISRO said in a post on on Twitter.
Following its launch on July 14, Chandrayaan-3 entered into the lunar orbit on August 5 and orbit reduction maneuvers were carried out on August 6, 9, 14 and 16.
As the mission progressed, a series of maneuvers are being conducted by ISRO to gradually reduce Chandrayaan-3's orbit and position it over the lunar poles.
The spacecraft is scheduled to make a soft landing on the south polar region of the Moon on August 23.
(PTI)
Chandrayaan-3: Lander module separates from propulsion system
The lander module will next descend to a slightly lower orbit around the Moon
Damian Talbot