BENGALURU, Sept 3 - A day after lander Vikram was separated from Chandrayaan-2�s orbiter, the ISRO said on Tuesday that it has successfully performed the first de-orbiting manoeuvre for the spacecraft. The city-headquartered space agency will perform one more de-orbit manoeuvre on Wednesday, before the powered descent on September 7 for its landing in the south polar region of the Moon.
�The first de-orbiting manoeuvre for Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was performed successfully today (September 3, 2019) beginning at 0850 hours IST as planned, using the onboard propulsion system. The duration of the manoeuvre was 4 seconds,� the ISRO said in an update.
�The orbit of Vikram lander is 104 km x 128 km. Chandrayaan-2 orbiter continues to orbit the Moon in the existing orbit and both the orbiter and the lander are healthy,� it said, adding that the next de-orbiting manoeuvre is scheduled on September 4, between 03:30 and 04:30 hours IST.
In a key event of India�s second Moon mission Chandrayaan-2, lander Vikram was separated from the orbiter on Monday. Vikram (with rover Pragyan housed inside) is expected to touch down on the surface of the Moon on September 7, between 1:30 am and 2:30 am. � PTI
