The Indian spacecraft Chandrayaan-2 successfully completed its third lunar orbit maneuver this Wednesday, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced in a statement. ISRO said the operation helped Chandrayaan-2 reach an orbit of 179 km at the closest point to the moon and 1,412 km at the furthest point.
The next maneuver is scheduled for August 30, the Bengaluru-based space agency said.
When placed in orbit 100 kilometres from the surface of the Moon, the lander (Vikram), which carries an exploration vehicle or rover (Pragyaan), will separate from the composite body-orbiter to land gently on the South Pole of Earth's natural satellite on September 7.
According to ISRO, Chandrayaan-2, India's second lunar expedition, will shed light on a completely unexplored section of the Moon, its South Pole region. India's first mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-1, was in 2008.
