Chandrayaan 2 to enter third lunar orbit today, Vikram Lander to detach on Sept 2

New Delhi : India's ambitious Moon mission Chandrayaan 2 is all set to enter in the third lunar orbit from where Vikram lander will detach on September 2 for a soft landing on the South Polar region on September 7, 2019.

The second Lunar bound orbit manoeuvre for Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was performed successfully as planned, using the onboard propulsion system.

The series of orbit manoeuvres are being performed on Chandrayaan-2 so that it can successfully enter into its final orbit passing over the lunar poles at a distance of about 100 km from the Moon’s surface.

Chandrayaan 2 had sent its first image of the moon in which Mare Orientale Basin, Apollo Craters were identified.

The next Lunar bound orbit manoeuvre is scheduled on August 28, 2019, between 0530 – 0630 hrs IST.

A picture captured by the Vikram lander of the moon from a height of 2650 KM from the lunar surface has been shared by the Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO).

“On September 3, we will have a small manoeuvre for about 3 seconds to ensure that the systems of the lander are running normally,” said Sivan.

The lander will separate from the Orbiter and will enter into a 100 km X 30 km orbit around the Moon.  Then, it will perform a series of complex braking manoeuvres to soft-land in the South polar region of the Moon on September 7, 2019.