The subsequent image features the Moon, taken by the Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera (LHVC) situated aboard the spacecraft, on August 6.

“Lander Imager (LI) Camera on the day of the launch & 🌖 imaged by

Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera (LHVC) a day after the Lunar Orbit Insertion

LI & LHV cameras are developed by SAC & LEOS, respectively,” ISRO tweeted.

Earlier on Tuesday, ISRO reported that the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft made a significant advancement towards the Moon’s surface on Wednesday, following an additional orbit reduction manoeuvre.

Also Read: Chandrayaan-3 vs Russia’s Luna-25 race to the moon: here’s who will claim the south pole position 1st

Following its launch on July 14, India’s ambitious Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully entered lunar orbit on August 5.

ISRO announced that the upcoming manoeuvre is slated for August 14, between 11.30 am and 12.30 pm.

ISRO executed a comparable orbit reduction manoeuvre on Sunday.

As the mission advances, ISRO is executing a sequence of manoeuvres to progressively decrease Chandrayaan-3’s orbit and align it with the lunar poles.

According to PTI citing sources at ISRO, two additional orbit reduction manoeuvres are planned to bring the spacecraft into closer proximity to the Moon.

On August 14 and 16, a sequence of manoeuvres is planned to achieve a 100 km orbit. Subsequently, the landing module, encompassing both the lander and rover, will detach from the propulsion module.

Following this separation, the lander is anticipated to undergo a “deboost” process to reduce its speed, leading to a gentle landing on the Moon’s south polar region on August 23.

In the span of three weeks and across five manoeuvres since the launch on July 14, ISRO has progressively elevated the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft into increasingly distant orbits from Earth.

(With inputs from PTI)

Updated: 10 Aug 2023, 02:04 PM IST