Chandrayaan-3 LIVE: Welcome buddy, says Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter as Vikram preps to land

Chandrayaan-3, captured the images using the Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LPDC) ahead of its first historic landing. Sharing the pictures in a tweet, Isro said, “Here are the images of the Lunar far side area captured by the Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera. This camera that assists in locating a safe landing area -- without boulders or deep trenches -- during the descent is developed at SAC/ISRO.”

In a significant development in space exploration, Russia's first moon-landing spacecraft in 47 years crashed on the Moon, days ahead of India's planned landing. The moon, located 3,84,400 km from our planet, plays a crucial role in maintaining Earth's climate stability by moderating its axial wobble. It also influences the world's ocean tides. However, there is more to it than meets the eye. A new race aims at harnessing Moon;s hidden secrets.  READ MORE HERE

Former Isro chief, K Sivan, who led the Chandrayaan-2 mission has said that "last time (during Chandrayaan-2) after the landing process, we had gone through the data. Based on that, corrective measures have been taken. Not only that, we did something more than what we corrected. Wherever the margins are less, we enhanced those margins...Based on the lessons we learned from Chandrayaan 2, the system is going with more ruggedness."

The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter hovering above the Moon has officially established contact with the Chandrayaan-3 lander, Vikram. Isro now has one more avenue to reach out to the lander apart from the Propulsion Module. 

Union Minister of State Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh shared the newly captured images of the far side of the Moon by Chandrayaan-3 and said that the Moon  is now almost within arm’s reach. The latest images of the Moon's far side area were captured by Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera. 

The landing of the Chandrayaan-2 mission began minutes before 1:40 am on September 8. And for the next few minutes, everything went right according to plan. Jubilant Isro scientists at the Mission Operations Complex cheered and clapped as Vikram aced the various stages of descent on to the lunar surface.

And then suddenly, around 12 minutes after Vikram began its descent, things went awry. Those outside of Isro's control center did not know what was wrong. But, the pin-drop silence at the control center and the worry creeping upon the faces of the Isro scientists there gave an inkling of something going wrong. 

As Indian preps for Chandrayaan-3 landing. Relieve the moment when India almost kissed the Moon. 

he Russian spacecraft Luna-25 crashed on the Moon ahead of its landing attempt, putting an end to the big plans that Moscow had for the lunar surface ahead of Earth, sending humans to this unforgiving world. The spacecraft, which was designed to study the unexplored world of the Moon for a year, failed even before landing as it suffered glitches during a pre-landing procedure above the lunar surface.

Declaring the mission failed, the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, said, "At about 14:57 Moscow time, communication with the Luna-25 spacecraft was interrupted. The measures taken on August 19 and 20 to search for the device and get in contact with it did not produce any results. Due to the deviation of the actual parameters of the impulse from the calculated ones, the device switched to an off-design orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the lunar surface." READ MORE HERE

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is all set to conduct the maiden landing of its lunar spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3, on the surface of the Moon. The Vikram lander has been looping around the Moon since it separated from the Propulsion Module a week ago. India Today Science will bring you all the coverage of the ambitious mission mounted by India as we track the developments in real-time. Isro has also said that it will conduct a Livestream of the landing on its YouTube and Facebook page. You can watch the live stream here as well.

Here are the images of Lunar far side area captured by the Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC). 

The Vikram Lander is just two days away from landing on the Moon. The Indian Space Research Organisation has said that the spacecraft is healthy as it continues to loop around the Moon preparing for the descent. The landing procedure will begin at 6:08 pm on August 23. 

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) said the second and final deboosting of Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander took place successfully at 1:50 am. The spacecraft has been brought into an orbit of 25*134 kilometers above the Moon. Isro said its powered descent is expected to commence on August 23, around 5:45 pm. 

The Lander Imager (LI) Camera-1 onboard Chandrayaan-3 captured this view of the Moon on August 17, 2023 just after the separation of the Lander Module from the Propulsion Module. 

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) successfully completed the deboosting maneuver with the Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander at 4 pm bring it in a much tighter, and closer orbit around the Moon. Isro said that the health of the Vikram lander is normal. This critical step brings the spacecraft closer to its planned soft landing on the Moon's south polar region, scheduled for August 23. 

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has achieved another significant milestone in its ambitious lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3. On August 15, 2023, the spacecraft captured stunning images of the Moon using its Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC). These images were released on Friday, marking a crucial step in ISRO's ongoing lunar exploration.
 

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has said that the Vikram lander of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is set to undergo a critical deboosting maneuver today at 4:00 pm.

This significant step is part of the spacecraft's final preparations for its scheduled landing on the Moon's surface on August 23.

The deboosting maneuver involves reducing the spacecraft's thrust to slow it down, a process crucial for achieving a stable orbit. READ MORE HERE

Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander is set to undergo a crucial deboosting maneuver on August 18 after being separated from the Propulsion Module earlier today.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the landing module, comprising the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover, has successfully separated from the propulsion module, marking a significant milestone in the mission.

The term 'deboosting' refers to the process of slowing down a spacecraft by reducing thrust, typically to achieve a stable orbit. READ MORE HERE

Speaking to India Today TV, former Isro chief K Sivan expressed confidence over the landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon's surface. He added that while we are not looking for any life forms on the Moon, we will get new insights about the polar region of the Moon. 

Union minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the Prime Minister is being briefed about the mission. "It was PM Narendra Modi's decision to open space for the private sector. Once the landing is done, the spacecraft will send pictures and the rover will be deployed," he said.  

The Propulsion Module after being separated from the Lander Module of Chandrayaan-3 will continue to loop around the Moon. The Propulsion Module's main function was to transport the Lander Module from the launch vehicle injection until the final lunar 100 km circular polar orbit. After separating the Lander Module, the Propulsion Module will operate its scientific payload, Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE), to study Earth from the lunar orbit.