India's second Moon mission Chandrayaan-2 lifts off onboard GSLV Mk III-M1 launch vehicle from Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, on Monday | PTI
Moving a step closer to the moon, Chandrayaan-2 on Tuesday successfully performed the first de-orbiting manoeuvre Tuesday at 0850 hours IST, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed. "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," ISRO stated on Tuesday announcing the manoeuvre news.
The space agency added that the manoeuvre was performed as planned, using the onboard propulsion system. The duration of the maneuver was 4 seconds.
The next de-orbiting manoeuvre is scheduled on September 4, Wednesday, between 0330-0430 hours IST, ISRO added. The two deorbit manoeuvres of the lander to bring it further down will prepare for its landing in the south polar region of the moon, where no country has gone so far.
The first de-orbiting manoeuvre comes less than 24 hours after Vikram successfully separated from Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter on Monday. The separation was the next step in the process after it had successfully performed the fifth and final lunar bound orbit manoeuvre on Sunday.
The Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, which has a mission life of one year, continues to go around the Moon in its existing orbit.
Vikram, named after the father of India's space research programme Vikram A. Sarabhai, is scheduled to land on the lunar surface near its south pole on September 7 at about 1.55 am.
The exact landing site free of hazards will be decided based on pictures of the area captured and sent back by the lander's onboard camera.
A successful mission will make India the fourth country after Russia, the US and China to pull off a soft landing on the moon.
(With PTI inputs)
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