One step closer to the Moon: Indian lander successfully separates from Chandrayaan-2 spaceship
by مخبر
One step closer to the Moon: Indian lander successfully separates from Chandrayaan-2 spaceship
India’s Vikram Lander has cleared one of its final hurdles ahead of touching down on the Moon after successfully separating from the Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter.
The lander began slowly spinning towards the surface of the Moon after splitting off from the spaceship without a hitch on Monday.
The history-making machine will execute its next maneuver between 8:45am and 9:45am Indian time (3:15am-4:15am GMT) on Tuesday. Chandrayaan-2 continued in its existing orbit in the aftermath of the separation.
The lander is due to finally touch down in the south pole region of the Moon on September 7. It will then release a small solar-powered rover dubbed Pragyan.
Pragyan will spend 14 days slowly traveling around the area collecting data and taking photographs of the surroundings. If the mission is successful, India will become the fourth country to land on the Moon, after the US, USSR, and China.
