‘Will Postpone Landing To Aug 27, If Situation Unfavourable’, Says ISRO

ISRO reported on Monday that if any aspect of the lander module appears unfavorable, the landing for Chandrayaan-3 will be postponed to August 27. Nilesh M Desai, the Director of Space Applications Centre-ISRO in Ahmedabad, explained that the determination regarding the landing’s timing hinges on the well-being of the lander module and lunar conditions.

Desai elucidated, “On August 23, approximately two hours before Chandrayaan-3’s projected lunar landing, we will make a decision on whether proceeding with the landing at that time is advisable based on the lander module’s health and lunar conditions. Should any unfavourable factors arise, we will reschedule the module’s lunar landing to August 27. Barring unforeseen issues, our aim is to achieve the landing on August 23.”

In New Delhi today, ISRO Chairman and Secretary of the Department of Space, S Somanath, held a meeting with Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Atomic Energy, and Space, Jitendra Singh. The meeting centered around updating the minister on the progress and preparedness of ‘Chandrayaan-3’ for its scheduled moon landing on August 23, 2023.

During this interaction, the ISRO Chairman apprised the minister of Chandrayaan-3’s sound health and operational state, affirming that all systems are functioning seamlessly, and no unforeseen circumstances are expected on the designated Wednesday landing.

Over the next couple of days, Chandrayaan-3’s condition will be vigilantly observed, with the final landing sequence programmed and tested out two days ahead of the operation, as informed by the ISRO Chairman.

Minister Jitendra Singh expressed his optimism in the successful soft landing of ‘Chandrayaan-3’ this time, anticipating it will establish a groundbreaking chapter in planetary exploration under the visionary guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The ISRO indicated that Chandrayaan-3 is programmed to achieve lunar touchdown on August 23, 2023, approximately at 18:04 hours IST.