• Source:JND
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Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday shared new pictures of the moon, a day after Chandrayaan-3 successfully performed its third lunar-bound manoeuvre bringing the spacecraft closer to the moon. The images have been shared on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The spacecraft which was launched on July 14 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota, is expected to land on the moon on August 23. The fresh pictures show craters Eddington, Aristarchus, and Pythagoras along with Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms), one of the large, dark plains on the lunar surface.

India's ambitious third Moon mission spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 entered into lunar orbit or the Moon's orbit on August 5. The next operation is scheduled for August 14, between 11.30 am and 12.30 pm, ISRO said.

Earlier on Sunday, the space agency put out the first images of the moon as captured by Chandrayaan-3, India's third lunar mission. Chandrayan-3 captured stunning images of the lunar surface after entering the Moon's orbit on Saturday.

ALSO READ Chandrayaan-3: ISRO Successfully Performs Third Lunar-Bound Manoeuvre Bringing Spacecraft Closer To Moon

According to ISRO chief S Somanath, the biggest challenge before the ISRO team is to make a horizontal Vikram land vertically on the lunar surface.

"Once the lander separates from the orbiter, it will move horizontally. Following a series of manoeuvres, the Vikram will be brought to a vertical stance to ensure safe landing on Moon," said Somanath.

"The ability to transfer from horizontal to vertical direction is the trick that has to be played. Here only we had problems last time," he added.

India will become only the fourth country after the US, China, and Russia to land its spacecraft on the surface of the moon, demonstrating the country’s ability for a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface.

Upon landing, it will operate for one lunar day, which is approximately 14 Earth days. One day on the Moon is equal to 14 days on Earth.

Chandrayaan-3’s development phase commenced in January 2020 with the launch initially planned in 2021. However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen delay to the mission's progress.

(With inputs from agencies)