India’s third Moon mission is now a step closer to landing. On Thursday, a piece of positive news came from the side of ISRO where they reported the separation of Vikram (lander) and Pragyan (rover) from the propulsion module. “The landing module and propulsion module have been successfully detached. Following a de-boost scheduled for tomorrow (August 18) at 4 pm, the landing module is expected to go to a slightly lower orbit,”  ISRO confirmed in some reports.

After the Launch, ISRO Head S. Somnath anticipated the date of separation of Vikram and the Propulsion Module to be 17th August. He also claimed that the spacecraft were to be reduced to a height of 100 km when the separation took place. According to a top Scientist who was interviewed on July 15, the goal for Chandrayaan-3 was to attain a circular orbit at a height of either 100 km or 150 km. Another Scientist stated that it will be decided closer to the day of the maneuver. Isro said that the orbit obtained on Wednesday ‘was as intended’. 

Also read more about the Chandrayaan-3 Mission: Chandrayaan-3 comes closer to the moon with a week left to its landing

As the Propulsion module is separated from the Lander, ISRO will attempt a number of De-boost maneuvers that would help the spacecraft further achieve the orbit of 30km Perilune and 100km Apolune. Though the final orbit may vary as was the case with the previous version of the mission, Chandryaan-2.As Isro chairman S. Somanath had earlier stated, the process of lowering the lander’s velocity from 30km height to the final touchdown would start after the 30 km x 100 km orbit, the landing’s most crucial step, has been accomplished. Before Vikram makes the final drop on August 23, ISRO will also have to go over the stage where the spacecraft’s horizontal orientation must shift to a vertical one. 

Chandrayaan-3 was sent into orbit on July 14th, 34 days ago. Chandrayaan-3 executed five Earth-bound maneuvers between July 15 and 25, increasing its height to more than 1.2 lakh kilometers at its closest point to Earth, after that the first orbit was reached shortly after the launch. ISRO performed the trans-lunar injection (TLI), which set the spacecraft on a course toward the moon at a height of around 3.6 lakh kms, before the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI), which took place on August 5, putting it in an elliptical orbit around the moon. Five lunar-bound maneuvers and the separation of the landing module came next.