Chandrayaan-3 lander module undergoes deboosting, placed closer to Moon

ISRO on Friday said that Chandrayaan-3's Lander Module has successfully undergone a deboosting (slowing down) operation taking it closer to the Moon and that its health is normal.

The Lander Module comprising the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan), will undergo the second deboosting operation on August 20, to be lowered to an orbit that takes it much closer to the Moon's surface.

The soft landing on the Lunar south pole is scheduled on August 23.

" The Lander Module (LM) health is normal. LM successfully underwent a deboosting operation that reduced its orbit to 113 km x 157 km. The second deboosting operation is scheduled for August 20, 2023, around 0200 Hrs. IST," ISRO said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The Lander Module of Chandrayaan-3 had successfully separated from the Propulsion Module on Thursday, 35 days after the satellite was launched on July 14.