Chandrayaan-2's Third Lunar-Bound Orbit Manoeuvre Performed Successfully: ISRO

The telemetry, tracking and command network of the Indian space agency (ISTRAC) performed the third lunar-bound orbit manoeuvre for Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft, the agency said on Wednesday. "The next lunar-bound orbit manoeuvre is scheduled on August 30 between 6-7pm IST," ISRO said, adding that spacecraft parameters are normal.

"The manoeuvre was performed successfully Wednesday beginning at 9:04 hours IST, using the on-board propulsion system. The duration of the exercise was 1,190 seconds (19:84 minutes)," said state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in a statement on its official website.

Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft with lander Vikram and rover Pragyan was launched on-board a heavy rocket (GSLV Mark III) on July 22 from ISRO's rocket port at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh off the Bay of Bengal coast, about 90km north of Chennai.

Earlier this week, ISRO released fresh photos of the moon taken by Chandrayaan-2. The photographs show the surface of the moon and its craters taken by the Terrain Mapping Camera-2 of the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft. According to ISRO, the pictures were taken on August 23 at an altitude of about 4,375km showing impact craters like Jackson, Mitra, Mach, and Korolev.

ISRO said Jackson is an impact crater located in the northern hemisphere of the far side of the Moon. The crater's diameter is 71km.

The interesting feature at the western outer rim of the Mach crater is another impact crater named Mitra (92km in diameter).

Source: IANS News