Source: X
Guwahati, Dec 5: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) achieved a significant milestone by successfully bringing back the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft’s Propulsion Module (PM) to the earth’s orbit, surpassing its lunar mission objectives. This success demonstrates India’s ability not only to send objects to the Moon but also to retrieve them.
After Vikram’s (lander) lunar hop, ISRO highlighted its capacity to restart engines on the moon and operate equipment, both of which were unexpected feats, according to the national space agency.
Launched on July 14, 2023, Vikram landed successfully on the Moon on August 23, with Pragyaan initiating exploration as planned. The PM, designed to aid the lander and conduct scientific tasks, exceeded its fuel capacity due to efficient maneuvers. To prolong its mission, ISRO strategically repositioned the Module to a safe earth orbit, avoiding collisions.
“With regard to Propulsion Module, the main objective was to ferry the Lander module from Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) to the final lunar polar circular orbit and separate the Lander. Subsequent to separation, Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload in the PM was also operated. The initial plan was to operate this payload for about three months during the mission life of PM. The precise orbit injection by LVM3 and optimal earth / lunar burn maneuvers, resulted in the availability of over 100 kg of fuel in the PM after over one month of operations in the lunar orbit. It was decided to use the available fuel in the PM to derive additional information for future lunar missions and demonstrate the mission operation strategies for a sample return mission,” ISRO said in a statement.
In October 2023, precise orbital adjustments brought the PM back to Earth's orbit, allowing multiple Moon fly-bys before departing the Moon's sphere of influence in November. Currently orbiting Earth without posing a threat to operational satellites, the Module's SHAPE payload remains active during Earth sightings and special observations like a solar eclipse.
The successful repositioning of the PM underscores India's advanced space capabilities and readiness for upcoming missions.