Big Breaking! Lander's Vikram Successfully Separated From Spacecraft: What's Next?

New Delhi: The 'Vikram' lander from Chandrayaan-3 has successfully separated from the spacecraft and is now scheduled to touch down on the moon on August 23. The Propulsion Module (PM) and LM have been successfully detached. Following a deboosting scheduled for tomorrow, LM is expected to move to a slightly lower orbit, according to an ISRO tweet.

Take a look at the ISRO tweet.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:

‘Thanks for the ride, mate!
said the Lander Module (LM).

LM is successfully separated from the Propulsion Module (PM)

LM is set to descend to a slightly lower orbit upon a deboosting planned for tomorrow around 1600 Hrs., IST.

Now, has… pic.twitter.com/rJKkPSr6Ct — ISRO (@isro) August 17, 2023

In order to be in an orbit where the Perilune (closest point to the Moon) and Apolune (farthest point from the Moon), are 30 km and 100 km, respectively, the lander is projected to experience a "deboost" (act of slowing down) following separation.

On August 23, ISRO plans to try a soft landing on the southern polar region of the Moon from this orbit. The Pragyaan rover, which will deploy its equipment to investigate seismic activity on the lunar surface, will be photographed by the lander when it lands on the Moon.