ISRO updates Chandrayaan-3’s status after successful Earthbound manoeuvre, spacecraft is now at 41762 km x 173 km orbit

ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) took to Twitter and updated about the Chandrayaan-3’s status. They reported through the Twitter post that the health of the spacecraft is normal. According to the Twitter update dated 15 July 2023, 9.06 pm; the “spacecraft is now at 41762 km x 173 km orbit.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission update:
The spacecraft's health is normal.

The first orbit-raising maneuver (Earthbound firing-1) is successfully performed at ISTRAC/ISRO, Bengaluru.

Spacecraft is now in 41762 km x 173 km orbit. pic.twitter.com/4gCcRfmYb4

— ISRO (@isro) July 15, 2023

On July 14, 2023, the LVM3M4 vehicle successfully launched Chandrayaan-3 into orbit. We earlier covered this for you, which you can check here. 

In recent updates, ISRO took to Twitter and informed that the first orbit-raising maneuver (Earthbound firing-1) was successfully performed at ISTRAC/ISRO, Bengaluru. ISRO scientists stated in additional reports that the operation commenced at around 12.05 pm and was successfully executed within 11-and-a-half minutes. The goal of the Earthbound maneuver was to increase the spacecraft’s apogee, i.e., the farthest point from the Earth. The altitude was thus increased and the Chandrayaan-3 was taken further away from the Earth.

On Sunday, tomorrow, scientists will carry out a minor burning of onboard propulsion systems, if all goes accordingly as planned until then. This will be done so to increase the perigee (closest point to Earth) of the spacecraft. The spacecraft will thus be pushed to about 220 km from its present position.