Chandrayaan-2 successfully performed its first de-orbiting maneuver on Tuesday bringing the mission one step closer to landing on the moon.
The four-second long maneuver was performed using the onboard propulsion system at 8:50 am (IST), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement.
#ISRO
The first de-orbit maneuver for #VikramLander of #Chandrayaan2 spacecraft was performed successfully today (September 03, 2019) at 0850 hrs IST.For details please visit https://t.co/K5dS113UJL
Here’s view of Control Centre at ISTRAC, Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/Ddeo2URPg5
— ISRO (@isro) September 3, 2019
“The orbit of Vikram Lander is 104 km x 128 km. Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter continues to orbit the Moon in the existing orbit and both the Orbiter and Lander are healthy,” the statement added.
The next de-orbiting maneuver is scheduled between 3:30 and 4:30 am (IST) on September 4.
Earlier on Monday, the Vikram Lander had successfully separated from the Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter.
The spacecraft will be the first Indian expedition to carry out a soft landing on the lunar surface. This mission will make India the fourth country after the US, Russia, and China to conduct a soft landing on the moon.
After revolving around the Earth’s orbit for nearly 23 days, the craft began its journey to the moon on August 14.
The mission took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 22 and is expected to land on September 7.