After 34 days on board the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, the propulsion module and the lander module parted ways on August 17, and have now embarked on their respective journeys. ISRO said that the lander module has successfully separated from the propulsion module.
After the separation, ISRO posted on X: “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.”
The Chandrayaan-3 consists of a lander module, a propulsion module and a rover. The main function of the propulsion module is to carry the lander module from launch vehicle injection till 100-km orbit around the moon.
According to ISRO, “The lander will have the capability to soft land at a specified lunar site and deploy the rover, which will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during the course of its mobility. The lander and the rover have scientific payloads to carry out experiments on the lunar surface.”
The propulsion module also has one scientific payload, as a value addition, which will be operated post-separation of the lander module. The payload will be operational for a period ranging from three to six months. The lander and the rover have a mission life of one lunar day (14 earth days).
As of now, the propulsion module continues its journey in the current orbit, and will continue to do so possibly for months or years. The Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload on board the Propulsion Module would perform spectroscopic study of the Earth’s atmosphere and measure the variations in polarization from the clouds on Earth to accumulate signatures of exoplanets that would qualify for habitability by humans. This payload is the work of U.R. Rao Satellite Centre, ISRO, Bengaluru.
After the separation of the two modules, a series of complex braking manoeuvres will be executed to facilitate a soft landing in the south polar region of the moon.
The lander is expected to touch down on the moon surface on August 23 at 5.47 p.m.
