Home Latest For its Final Trick, Chandrayaan-3 Brings its Propulsion Module to Earth Orbit

For its Final Trick, Chandrayaan-3 Brings its Propulsion Module to Earth Orbit

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For its Final Trick, Chandrayaan-3 Brings its Propulsion Module to Earth Orbit

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On August 23, ISRO’s Vikram lander detached from its propulsion module and made a soft landing near the Moon’s south pole region. The lander then deployed its Pragyan rover, and for 2 weeks the endearing little solar-powered rover carried out marvelously, detecting water ice and characterizing the make-up of the lunar regolith before succumbing to the darkness and chilly of the lunar night time.

But because the rover mission ended, the propulsion module that introduced it to the Moon has made a detour, performing a collection of complicated maneuvers that took it from a decent lunar orbit again to Earth orbit. This was potential as a result of the module nonetheless had greater than 100 kg of gas, permitting scientists to conduct further maneuvers and experiments.

Right now, the propulsion module (PM) is orbiting Earth at an altitude of 115,000 km (71,500 miles), effectively above geostationary orbit. ISRO mentioned the mission workforce determined to make use of the obtainable gas within the propulsion module to derive further data for future lunar missions. More particularly, this demonstration gave them the possibility to check mission operation methods for a future pattern return mission.

A graphic of the Chandrayaan-3 lander separating from the propulsion module. Credit: ISRO.

The PM has had a busy and productive mission. While in lunar orbit for a couple of month, it wasn’t simply taking it simple.  After the separation of the lander, the PM operated an on-board experiment, the Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload, designed to look at the Earth. Specifically, this instrument additionally supplied scientists and engineers expertise for future missions and analysis as its goal was to review liveable planet-like options of Earth. These observations can be utilized by ISRO for future research of exoplanets. Additionally, there was a special operation of the SHAPE payload on October 28, 2023 during the solar eclipse.

But as a result of the spacecraft had such a exact orbit injection and optimum burn maneuvers, the quantity of leftover gas meant the engineers might do much more with the PM than initially anticipated. The PM was commanded to execute an orbit-raising maneuver on the Moon after which carry out a Trans-Earth injection burn, which positioned the PM in an Earth-bound orbit.

ISRO said the primary orbit elevating maneuver on the Moon was carried out on October 9, 2023 to lift apolune altitude to five,112 km from 150 km.  The Trans-Earth injection (TEI) maneuver was carried out on October 13, 2023, and as its orbit was slowly raised, the PM made 4 Moon flybys earlier than departing Moon on November 10.

Currently, propulsion module is orbiting Earth with an orbital interval of practically 13 days, at 27 levels inclination. Because of this excessive orbit, ISRO mentioned there isn’t any menace of shut method with any operational Earth orbiting satellites.

ISRO said these additional operations allowed them to plan and execute trajectory maneuvers to return from Moon to Earth, in addition to develop software program to plan and validate the maneuvers. They additionally deliberate and executed a gravity assisted flyby between two celestial our bodies and, most notably they averted an uncontrolled crash into the Moon’s floor on the finish of the lifetime of PM, which met the necessities of making no particles on the Moon.

Will its present excessive geostationary orbit be the Chandrayaan-3 PM’s closing trick? Who is aware of? The resourceful engineers would possibly work out one other technique to make use of this multi-purpose spacecraft.

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