Chandrayaan-3: ISRO Says 'All Set To Initiate The Automatic Landing Sequence', Shares Pictures

New Delhi: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that it is "all set to initiate the Automatic Landing Sequence (ALS)". It is, ISRO said, awaiting the lander module to reach the designated location. 

“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,” ISRO announced on its official channel on X (formerly Twitter).

It further informed that “upon receiving the ALS command, the LM activates the throttleable engines for power descent. The live telecast of operations at MOX begins at 5:20 pm IST and is expected to land around 6:02 pm IST.

In a move that has captured the attention of space enthusiasts globally, ISRO has announced that the live telecast of the Chandrayaan-3 landing event will commence at 5:20 PM IST. The anticipated soft landing of the 'Vikram' lander is a pivotal objective of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, aimed at the Moon's south pole in its unilluminated region.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
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.

Upon receiving the ALS command, the LM activates the throttleable engines for powered descent.
The… pic.twitter.com/x59DskcKUV

— ISRO (@isro) August 23, 2023

ISRO is trying to make a soft landing of its lander ‘Vikram’ in the Chandrayaan-3 mission near the south pole in the dark side of the Moon. ISRO’s earlier attempt under ‘Chandrayaan-2’ suffered a communication problem that led to hard crash of the lander on the Moon’s surface.

Coincidentally, Russia encountered its own lunar mission setback. The 'Luna-25' mission, Russia's initial attempt at a soft lunar landing near the Moon's south pole since 1976, experienced a mishap during the orbit maneuvering phase, leading to its crash onto the lunar surface.