The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) tweeted on 6 August announcing that they successfully raised Chandrayaan-2's orbit for fifth time at 3.04 p.m.
The orbit of Chandrayaan-2 was raised to an orbit of 276 x 1,42,975 km by firing the spacecraft’s on-board motors for 1,041 seconds. All spacecraft parameters were normal, reported IANS.
ISRO has also informed that the next maneuver is Trans Lunar Insertion (TLI), which is scheduled on 14 August, according to news agency ANI.
Chandrayaan-2, India’s second mission to the moon, is scheduled to reach a lunar orbit on August 20.
On 22 July, the Chandrayaan-2 was injected into an elliptical orbit of 170 x 45,475 km by India's heavy lift rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV Mk III) in text book style.
The spacecraft comprises three segments - the Orbiter (weighing 2,379 kg, eight payloads), the lander 'Vikram' (weighing 1,471 kg, four payloads) and the rover 'Pragyan' (weighing 27 kg, two payloads).
The Indian space agency said the major activities include-
- Earth-bound manoeuvres
- the trans-lunar insertion
- lunar-bound manoeuvres
- Vikram's separation from Chandrayaan-2
- touch down on the Moon's South Pole
The spacecraft will be the first Indian expedition attempting a soft landing on the moon making India the fourth country to do so after US, Russia and China.
(With Inputs from IANS and ANI)
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