Timeline and Launch Details Of Chandrayaan-3

The Chandrayaan-3 endeavor is anticipated to undertake a gentle touchdown at 6.04 PM IST on August 23rd. The entire mission has been conceived and executed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as a subsequent step to Chandrayaan-2, which fell short of achieving its goals.

ISRO is aiming to softly land Chandrayaan-3 at the southern pole of the Moon, a zone of great significance due to its potential accumulation of water ice.

Below are the events presented in chronological sequence:

1.Announcement and Preparations:

July 6, 2023: ISRO reveals Chandrayaan-3’s launch date as July 14, from Sriharikota’s secondary pad.
July 7, 2023: Successful completion of vehicle electrical assessments.
July 11, 2023: 24-hour launch rehearsal simulating the launch procedure.

2.Launch and Initial Orbits:

July 14, 2023: Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft launched with LVM3 M4 vehicle, achieving designated orbit.
July 15, 2023: First orbit-raising maneuver to 41,762 km x 173 km.
July 17, 2023: Second maneuver to 41,603 km x 226 km.
July 22, 2023: Third maneuver to 71,351 km x 233 km.
July 25, 2023: Additional orbit-raising maneuver.

3.Lunar Orbit Insertion:

August 1, 2023: Chandrayaan-3 inserted into translunar orbit (288 km x 369,328 km).
August 5, 2023: Lunar orbit achieved at 164 km x 18,074 km.

4.Orbit Adjustments:

August 6, 2023: Lunar orbit adjusted to 170 km x 4,313 km.
August 9, 2023: Chandrayaan-3’s trajectory adjusted to maintain lunar orbit of 174 km x 1,437 km.
August 14, 2023: Orbit further adjusted to 150 km x 177 km.
August 20, 2023: Orbit set at 134 km x 25 km, representing farthest and nearest lunar points.

5.Final Lunar Orbit and Landing Preparation:

August 17, 2023: Separation of landing module (Vikram lander and Pragyan rover) from propulsion system.
August 18, 2023: “Deboosting” operation lowers landing module’s orbit to 113 km x 157 km.
August 20, 2023: Chandrayaan-3’s orbit adjusted to 134 km x 25 km.

6.Lunar Touchdown Phase: