Chandrayaan-3 sends back first photos of Moon as it moves closer

The Indian Space Research Organisation, or ISRO, has released the first images of the Moon as viewed by Chandrayaan 3 – India’s third unmanned Moon mission.

The Moon’s cratered surface was captured by Chandrayan-3 cameras after the spacecraft entered the lunar orbit on Saturday.

The Moon, as viewed by Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft during Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) on August 5, 2023,” tweeted the Mission’s official Twitter handle.

Chandrayaan-3 completed its first manoeuvre after entering the Moon orbit on Sunday in the final phase of its journey. ISRO expects the Vikram lander to make a soft landing on the lunar surface as planned on August 23.

Chandrayaan-3 successfully entered the lunar orbit on Saturday, 22 days after it was launched for a 41-day journey to the lunar south pole where no other country has gone before.

“I am feeling lunar gravity,” was Chandrayaan-3’s message to ISRO after the required manoeuvre that took it closer to the Moon was carried out successfully from the space agency’s facility in Bengaluru.

The successful landing will make India only the fourth country in the world after the United States, Russia and China to land a spacecraft on the surface of the moon.

Upon landing, the lander named ‘Vikram’ will deploy its four scientific payloads to study the moon’s surface temperature and subterranean characteristics.

The 6-wheeled Rover ‘Pragyan’ will come out to explore the moon, using chemical tests, for 14 days. The Rover is equipped with multiple cameras that will send back images to earth. It is backed by a solar panel to charge its battery.