Chandrayaan-3 Moon Landing Live Updates: ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) tweeted on X(formerly twitter) that it is prepared to initiate the Automatic Landing Sequence (ALS) for its ambitious lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3. The Lander Module (LM), consisting of the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan), is scheduled to touch down near the Moon's south polar region at 6:04 pm today evening. This Chandrayaan-3 landing mission will mark a significant achievement, as no country has successfully achieved a lunar touchdown in this region to date.
ISRO's twitter post reads, "All set to initiate the Automatic Landing Sequence (ALS). Awaiting the arrival of Lander Module (LM) at the designated point, around 17:44 Hrs. IST (5:44 pm)." The post further stated, “Upon receiving the ALS command, the LM activates the throttleable engines for powered descent. The mission operations team will keep confirming the sequential execution of commands.”
The ALS is a critical part of the Chandrayaan-3 landing process today. Upon receiving the ALS command, the LM activates its throttleable engines for a powered descent. ISRO's mission operations team closely monitors the execution of commands to ensure a smooth landing. The required commands will be uploaded to the LM from ISRO's Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) facility a few hours before the scheduled touchdown.
During the landing phase, when the LM is at an altitude of approximately 30 km, it enters the powered braking phase. This phase involves using its four thruster engines by "retro firing" them to gradually reduce its speed, preventing a crash due to the Moon's gravity.
At an altitude of around 6.8 km, the LM will use only two engines, shutting down the other two. This manoeuvre aims to provide reverse thrust to the lander as it descends further. When the LM reaches an altitude of about 150-100 meters, it will employ its sensors and cameras to scan the lunar surface for obstacles and initiate a soft landing.
ISRO Chairman S. Somanath emphasised that the most critical part of the landing process is reducing the lander's velocity from 30 km height to the final landing stage and reorienting the spacecraft from horizontal to vertical direction.
Following a successful soft landing, the rover will descend from the lander's belly onto the lunar surface using one of its side panels as a ramp. One of the challenges the lander may face upon landing is lunar dust, resulting from the firing of onboard engines close to the lunar surface. The lander and rover are expected to have a mission life of approximately one lunar day (about 14 Earth days) to conduct studies of the lunar environment. However, ISRO remains open to the possibility of extending their mission duration for another lunar day. Follow Chandrayaan-3 Updates for more information.
(With inputs from PTI)
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