The crucial manoeuvre took place in the early hours of Tuesday to propel the spacecraft towards the Moon using a slingshot effect.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday announced that Chandrayaan-3 has successfully completed its orbits around the Earth and is currently on its way towards the Moon.
“A successful perigee-firing performed at ISTRAC (ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network). ISRO has injected the spacecraft into the translunar orbit,” it said.
The crucial manoeuvre took place in the early hours of Tuesday to propel the spacecraft towards the Moon using a slingshot effect.
“Chandrayaan-3 completes its orbits around the Earth and heads towards the moon,” the national space agency said, adding, “Next stop: the moon. As it arrives at the moon, the Lunar-Orbit Insertion is planned for August 5, 2023,” ISRO said.
According to an ISRO official speaking to PTI, after the trans-lunar injection, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully departed from Earth’s orbit and is now on a trajectory headed towards the Moon. The ISRO had previously announced plans to attempt a soft landing on the lunar surface on August 23.
Following the launch of the Chandrayaan-3 mission to the Moon on July 14, the spacecraft’s orbit was systematically raised in five stages.